Golden State Of Mind • April 17, 2023

Down 1-0, is it time for the Warriors to panic? Not a chance, but they’ll need to be sharper in Game 2.

Down 1-0 to their Northern California neighbor, is it time to panic for the defending champs? Not one bit, as the Warriors are battled-tested for the moment. Stephen Curry ended Saturday night with 30 points and a game-high +11 plus-minus and after sinking a huge three on the wing, the Golden State Warriors found themselves with a 10-point lead late in the third quarter. And then, the double-edged sword of Steve Kerr’s substitution pattern reared its ugly head again. In the five minutes that C

Sactown Royalty • April 17, 2023

The Sacramento Kings took a punch and countered with their own as they take a 1-0 series lead

The defending champs have long put their opponents away with a dominant third quarter, but the Kings weathered the storm to take a 1-0 series lead. The Sacramento Kings could have easily folded after a Stephen Curry three in the third quarter put the Warriors up 10, in what largely felt like a prototypical Golden State scoring blitz in the works. After all, this young Kings team was devoid of playoff experience after snapping the longest postseason drought in American sports. They were expected

Sactown Royalty • March 26, 2023

With the Sacramento Kings on the brink of the playoffs, Domantas Sabonis should be an MVP finalist

Sabonis is putting up historic numbers that have been matched by just one other Hall of Famer through NBA History. Is the Kings’ All-Star a lock to be an MVP finalist this season? Head coach Mike Brown feels like a lock to win Coach of the Year. D'Aaron Fox has all but secured the Clutch Player award. Can Domantas Sabonis bring some hardware to Sactown as well? The odds feel like a longshot, as the Kings' All-Star is listed well over +50000 at most sportsbooks to win Most Valuable Player. But

Sactown Royalty • July 10, 2022

Previewing the Sacramento Kings rotation with the newest roster additions

The Sacramento Kings are hard at work to bolster their roster with one goal in mind: snap the NBA’s longest postseason drought. GM Monte McNair has maneuvered through free agency and the draft to add young players alongside the established pieces in place. Here’s a preview of what the rotation could look like for the coming season. The Sacramento Kings’ head-scratching roster transactions and more than a few draft blunders have been well-chronicled throughout the years, but is there a chance th

DraftKings Nation • May 3, 2022

Pick against the spread, over/under for Warriors vs. Grizzlies Game 2

The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies face off in Game 2 of the Western conference semifinals with a tipoff set for 9:30 pm ET. The Warriors came back for a close 117-116 Game 1 win over the Grizzlies, who will look to tie the series before it shifts to Golden State for Games 3 and 4. The Warriors are 2-point favorites per DraftKings Sportsbook with the total set at 227.5 If Game 1 shown anything, it’s that this series is shaping up to be a tightly contested matchup. Both teams have

DraftKings Nation • May 3, 2022

Pick against the spread, over/under for Bucks vs. Celtics Game 2

The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics meet for Game 2 in the Eastern conference semifinals with the Bucks holding a 1-0 series lead. Boston hopes to tie the series before the teams head to Milwaukee for Game 3 after the Bucks came away with a dominant 101-89 win in Game 1. The Celtics are 4.5-point favorites per DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 215.5. The Celtics had no answer for Giannis Antetokoumpo in Game 1, but no team can really lock down the Greek Freak. Milwaukee looked do

Golden State Of Mind • May 1, 2022

Warriors flex their championship versatility in clutch Game 1 win over Grizzlies

With a recipe for a defeat in the making, the Golden State Warriors rewrote the script and walked away with a win, in large part due to their championship versatility. "You told me! You f—ing told me! God damn you told me!" uttered Draymond Green to Stephen Curry as he embraced each member of the Golden State Warriors (players and staff) one-by-one as they headed towards the exit tunnel. Golden State had stolen home-court advantage in the series with a 117-116 win on the road against a tenaciou

Sactown Royalty • April 24, 2022

Ranking the top coaching candidates for the Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are casting a wide-net in search of their next head coach, with the goal of ending the league’s longest playoff drought. We rank the known candidates to-date. With a league-record 16th straight consecutive season missing the playoffs and having gone without a season of 40+ wins since 2005-2006, the Sacramento Kings are casting a wide net in search of their next head coach. With promising young pieces to build around and yet still in search for a team identity (especially on

Golden State Of Mind • April 17, 2022

The Warriors Unveiled the Death Lineup 3.0 in Game 1 Win vs Nuggets

Golden State unleashed an 18-4 run to close out the first half and seal a 123-107 win over the Nuggets. The culprit? The Warriors’ newest version of the Death Lineup. First there was Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Iguodala, and Green. Then it was Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Green, and Durant. And in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors unveiled version 3.0 of their stapled "Death Lineup." The unit sparked an 18-4 run to close out the first half, giving Golden St

Sactown Royalty • April 17, 2022

Ending the Drought: Do the Kings Hold or Trade Away their 2022 First-Round Pick?

The Sacramento Kings will miss the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season, but Monte McNair’s decision around the team’s 2022 first-round pick will hint at his timeline for ending the drought. Another NBA postseason will come and go without the Sacramento Kings in attendance, extending the league’s longest playoff drought to a record 16 consecutive seasons. Arco Arena last hosted a postseason game in Sacramento, but Golden 1 Center is still waiting on hearing its number called. For General M

Sactown Royalty • October 26, 2021

It’s early, but Davion Mitchell is already earning respect from the NBA’s biggest stars

Initial reactions to the Sacramento Kings selecting Davion Mitchell with the ninth pick in this year’s draft were mixed at best. Analysts understood the upside on defense that Mitchell would bring to the Kings (who were historically bad on defense a season ago), but they also questioned the inevitable crowded group of guards on the roster (De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and now Mitchell). Mitchell displayed exactly how his skillset could motivate this team to take the next leap w

Sactown Royalty • March 28, 2021

New Kings Additions Display Impact in their Victory over the Cavaliers

No practice, no problem: The newest Sacramento Kings were thrown into the fire and their defensive impact was apparent in Saturday’s win over Cleveland. Offensive firepower can only take you so far if you can’t match the effort on the defensive end, and Kings’ General Manager Monte McNair kept this in mind as he navigated through the NBA trade deadline. By the end of Thursday, Sacramento had traded away both Corey Joseph and Nemanja Bjelica, with Terence Davis, Delon Wright, and Moe Harkless ar

Sactown Royalty • June 11, 2020

The Sacramento Kings Are Healthy at the Most Opportune Time

One can make the valid argument that the Sacramento Kings have been at full strength only twice this season: in the season opener (before Marvin Bagley’s thumb injury) and in Orlando, where the Kings will join 21 other teams in the race to the postseason. The fact that Sacramento was invited is a testament to their stellar play before the season was halted, and it coincides with having their most healthy roster at their disposal. Back when Sacramento was last on the court, the Kings were 13-7

Sactown Royalty • March 4, 2020

Give credit where credit is due: Luke Walton has been instrumental in the Kings’ recent surge

To those who were calling for Luke Walton’s job, to those who were adamant he had no idea what he was doing, make sure to give credit where its due. As the Sacramento Kings race for a playoff push, Walton has been instrumental in the Kings’ recent surge. De’Aaron Fox is showing he’s "that guy", embarking on a tear that proves why the Sacramento Kings selected him with the fifth pick back in 2017. Harry Giles, perhaps using the Kings’ choice to decline his contract option as fuel, is playing lik

Posting and Toasting • March 3, 2020

Spike Lee versus James Dolan is the type of theater that fuels a dysfunctional franchise

The New York Knicks upset the Houston Rockets, they welcomed a new team president in Leon Rose, and yet neither was the headline. The Spike Lee vs James Dolan feud is the type of dysfunction the franchise has to avoid. "I’m coming back next year, but I’m done for the season...I’m done." Those were the words that dominated the sports news media outlets Tuesday morning, coming from the acclaimed director Spike Lee who is also well-regarded as the New York Knicks number one superfan. Lee went on

Sactown Royalty • February 26, 2020

Harry Giles: Future Kings cornerstone or auditioning for his next team?

Harry Giles has flashed the potential that made him a highly-touted recruit. Did the Sacramento Kings make a mistake in allowing him to test free agency? At one point, Harry Giles was a five-star recruit and considered to be the best player in the 2016 recruiting class, the potential he displayed garnered that praise. The Harry Giles we’ve come to know in recent memory, in contrast, has been known for rehabbing and a fight to get on the court. But in the month of February, we’ve seen flashes o

Sactown Royalty • February 21, 2020

De’Aaron Fox is becoming ‘that guy,’ but he needs to refine this part of his game

As the Sacramento Kings wind down the remainder of the regular season, they must take pride in the positives to date. This includes the recent dominant play of De’Aaron Fox, who just needs to refine this one part of his game. De’Aaron Fox was taken fifth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft with the expectation of becoming one of the new faces of the Sacramento Kings franchise. The Kings were confident that with that fifth pick, they had selected one of the better players of the draft. Let’s see the s

Sactown Royalty • February 3, 2020

Bigger Disappointment: Bagley’s Injuries or the Kings’ Continued Playoff Drought?

With plenty of excitement and increased expectations at the start, this season for Sacramento Kings has been a disappointment. Which reality is tougher to stomach: another year added to the playoff drought or Marvin Bagley III’s nagging injuries? Fans are quick to forget how the Sacramento Kings’ performed down the stretch late last season. They forget how they went 3-7 in their remaining ten games of the season. They forget the ugly losses they accumulated along the way (see the Brooklyn Nets’

Sactown Royalty • January 3, 2020

Richaun Holmes is the Kings’ true All-Star candidate

Scroll through your Sacramento Kings’ social media timeline and chances are you’ll find Sactown pushing for De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Marvin Bagley to make the trip to Chicago for the NBA’s All-Star Game. The last King to get All-Star recognition was DeMarcus Cousins back in 2017. The likelihood of a King making the All-Star Game this year might be slim, but injuries and the possibility of coaches voting in reserves leave some semblance of hope. And while on name recognition and stats alon

Sactown Royalty • December 26, 2019

Buddy Hield’s solution to his recent shooting struggles: getting to the foul-line

The Sacramento Kings have been working to build chemistry as they welcome back players from injury, and in the aftermath, we’ve seen Buddy Hield’s shot hit a dry spell. When the shot isn’t falling outside, it’s time to go inside. If the Sacramento Kings were to finally break the longest active playoff drought in the NBA (13 seasons), many figured it wouldn’t come easy, especially in Western Conference. Yet even though this year’s west has been incredibly top-heavy, the Kings have still found th