Kings can’t stop rebound machine Adams in loss to Grizzlies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
In a league where giants frequently roam the court, the Kings looked even smaller Sunday against Steven Adams and the Memphis Grizzlies in a 118-108 loss at FedEx Forum.
Despite frequently opposing Kings center Domantas Sabonis, who’s also 6-foot-11, Adams had his way on the glass — particularly on the attack — where he snared 13 offensive rebounds.
“He’s a load down there,” Kings coach Mike Brown told reporters afterward. “He’s a grown man, and I felt like there were too many times when we didn’t gang rebound.”
Adams’ 13 offensive rebounds were a career high, and Brown noted not too many NBA players can match up with the 29-year-old center, who had 23 total boards and added 11 points, three assists and two blocked shots.
“You have to have a guy in front of him and you have to have a guy behind him to gang rebound, to try to keep him off the glass and hope your teammates come up with the ball,” Brown said.
Two days after the Kings (19-16) exemplified how a team should play in a comeback win over the Utah Jazz, it appeared as if Sacramento left Sabonis all by himself to try and contain Adams, which Brown noticed.
“Again, I thought that too many times, when we didn’t go box out guy, nor did we go try to help Domas with Steven Adams, and he came up with big rebounds for them,” Brown said. “The 21 offensive rebounds hurt.”
For context, Adams’ 13 offensive rebounds were almost more than what the Kings team had as a whole (14). Additionally, Memphis (23-13) had more second-chance points (15) than Sacramento (11) and seemingly scored at will in the paint, shooting 32 of 62 for 64 points.
What’s more, Brown noted that even though the Kings were outplayed on the boards, the Kings squandered what second-chance opportunities they did receive.
“We were 3 of 15 when it came to second-chance points, and it hurt,” Brown added. “So getting the ball out, whether it’s on an offensive rebound or a simple drive without driving too deep and kick and letting the next guy make that play was our downfall tonight.”
Overall, the Grizzlies’ size was too much for the Kings, as Memphis forced 15 turnovers and blocked eight Sacramento shot attempts.
Along with having to contend with Adams snaring up rebounds, the Kings had no answer for Ja Morant, as the Grizzlies’ 23-year-old star guard led all scorers with 35 points.
On a night when Memphis was missing Desmond Bane, Morant’s flurry showed why he’s considered one of the best players in the NBA, as he also had eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and one blocked shot in 32 minutes of action.
For the Kings, De’Aaron Fox’s four-game streak of scoring 10-plus points in the fourth quarter ended after he had just seven. Sabonis racked up his 13th consecutive double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds along with four assists, despite playing with a broken thumb on his non-shooting hand.
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The Kings’ next opportunity to show their cohesiveness as a unit will be Tuesday night against the Jazz at Vivint Arena. Kings fans hope size won’t be an issue in a rematch of last week’s tightly contested matchup at Golden 1 Center.