The Sports Informant

By Scott Levin
Sports Informant Contributing Writer

Sacramento has become the king of the demoralizing loss. After a first half where they looked more like playoff contenders than bottom feeders, the Kings followed up with a complete second half meltdown. A 14-point lead evaporated amid careless ball handling and shoddy shooting. In regulation, Spencer Hawes last-second jumper clanged off the iron, leading to an overtime period where the Kings were outscored 13-10. The Nuggets escaped with a 112-109 victory.

1 – It was a tale of two halves for the Kings. The first half was the Kings best performance in weeks, with crisp ball movement and terrific execution. Sacramento handed out 17 assists in the first half against just four turnovers, and they scored a season-high 38 points in the second quarter. Unfortunately, things deteriorated in the second half. Players started doing too much, shots stopped falling and the Kings buckled under the pressure. The team turned the ball over 15 times after halftime.

2 – While Hawes had an overall good game, he still makes a handful of plays every game that leaves you scratching your head. Hawes scored a team-high 23 points, including some clutch baskets down the stretch. But his basketball IQ is still lacking – he is unsure of positioning on rebounds and has a propensity to force passes into tight spaces. The final play of the game illustrated his deficiencies. With the Kings trailing by three and just 0.7 seconds left, Hawes’ inbounds pass sailed into the Nuggets key, killing any hope of a game-tying triple.

Jon Brockman and the Kings bench provided a boost, but it wasn't enough to subside Sacramento's meltdown. (Photo courtesy Tom Paniagua)

3 – The Kings bench really gave the team a lift, specifically in the second quarter. Jon Brockman had a career-high in points by halftime, finishing with 11 points to go with 11 rebounds. Andres Nocioni dropped two three-pointers upon entering the game and immediately commanded the Nuggets attention, which led to opportunities for his teammates. Omri Casspi also pitched in with a steady 14 points and four rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench.

Quick hits – With Tyreke Evans out due to injury, the Kings got spotty play from the lead guard position. Beno Udrih and Sergio Rodriguez combined for nine turnovers and shot just 35 percent from the field … Evans’ injury also put the ball in Kevin Martin’s hands with the game on the line. With time running out in overtime and the Kings down two, Martin milked the clock down to two seconds and drove the lane. The result was a flailing attempt, as Martin tried unsuccessfully to draw the foul … The Kings were unable to capitalize on terrible Nuggets free throw shooting (26-38, 68.4 percent).