Already furious with his players a few days ago, Mike Brown had to raise a new shout last night after the heavy defeat against the Blazers (105-85) by Donovan Clingan. The Kings coach had considered playing his stars in the last quarter, but the scenario of the match made him change his mind. At the end, it was a real rout, symbolized by the 27 lost balls and the 12 offensive rebounds captured by Portland.
“Being beaten by a young team, who played hard and physical is a very good lesson for us,” Brown said. at a press conference. “I wanted to play our starters at the end of the match tonight so that they could rediscover the sensations of playing an entire match, but they were not in my way to be able to play. As we were down by 20 points, I didn't take that risk in a preseason game. »
On the heels
In front of their home crowd, the Kings confirmed that there was a lot of work to be done, and the absence of Kevin Huerter and the failed return of Malik Monk do not explain everything. “I think we were overwhelmed both offensively and defensively”recognizes De'Aaron Fox. “They’re a younger team and they defend all-court, and they get into our paint. They hit our paint too many times for us, and then they go to the free throw line. When they pop out, it makes for much easier 3-point shots. »
What's stuck in Brown's throat are the 27 stray bullets. The Blazers scored 33 points on these turnovers. “Their pressure on the ball and their physical qualities made us rush” notes the Kings coach. “We can't lose balls like we did. Faced with their pressure, we tried too many risky things, and they took us out of our rhythm. Credit goes to Portland, but I think our guys didn't do a good job today. Physically, they played at a higher level than us and that put us on the defensive. The more we were on our heels, the more they gained confidence in themselves.”
Even though it's just a preseason game, Brown hopes his players have learned their lesson. “We can't ignore it… We can't ignore how hard they played tonight compared to us and we can't ignore the 27 turnovers because a lot of them came from our own mistakes . We cannot ignore our inability to prevent them from penetrating the paint. »
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
