Why Kings are enduring shooting struggles vs. Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO — Where, oh where did the Kings’ shooting go?
Sacramento won Game 1 of its first-round NBA playoff series against the Golden State Warriors thanks to historic playoff debuts from superstar guard De’Aaron Fox and sixth man Malik Monk. The Kings won Game 2 with their defense, as Davion Mitchell treated the defending champions to an all-inclusive “Off Night” experience at Golden 1 Center.
In Game 3, Sacramento forgot to pack the same level of urgency, hustle and grit for its quick trip to San Francisco and lost by 17 points at Chase Center.
Strengths and weaknesses come and go across a best-of-seven playoff series. But the elite shooting, a main ingredient of the Kings’ historic offensive attack, has been nowhere to be found.
Through three playoff games, the Kings are shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 27.4 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers stood at 49.4 percent and 36.9 percent, respectively, in the regular season.
The Kings’ starting five of Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis — the same unit that played 162 more minutes than any five-man lineup in the NBA this season — has struggled to get it going early.
Those five starters are shooting 4.0 percent from deep in the first quarter this series. No, that is not a typo. They’ve made 1 of 25 first-quarter attempts from 3-point range.
Huerter and Murray, the Kings’ top two 3-point shooters in the regular season, are a combined 4 for 28 (14.3 percent) from beyond the arc against the Warriors. They have combined for two or fewer 3-pointers in all three games, something that happened just seven times over the marathon 82-game regular season.
“I think in a lot of ways, it’s the rhythm of our offense,” Huerter said Friday during media availability in San Francisco. “[The Warriors have] done a good job of taking away a lot of the movement and rhythm and flow of what we do. Threes are open, but they’re not the ones we’re accustomed to getting within the flow our offense.”
The Warriors absolutely deserve credit for disrupting the Kings’ looks from 3-point range. Andrew Wiggins has been fantastic guarding the perimeter. But even the Kings’ open shots aren’t falling.
The NBA defines a wide-open shot as one that is attempted with no defender within six feet. Kings statistics extraordinaire Will Zimmerle pointed out Friday that Sacramento is shooting 26.4 percent (19 of 72) on wide-open triples this series after shooting 39 percent during the regular season.
Playoff inexperience was a big talker heading into the series against the defending champion Warriors, and it has reared its ugly head at times.
Murray, a 22-year-old who carries himself like a grizzled vet, has looked green this series. Trey Lyles is 27, but he played double-digit playoff minutes for the first time in Game 1. Monk looked unstoppable at home but went silent Thursday night in Game 3.
No Kings player is shooting over 33.3 percent from deep this series. Eight did so in the regular season.
Could that intangible of playoff inexperience explain some shooting woes?
“This is a different shot right now than what it was Game 45 of the regular season,” coach Mike Brown told reporters Friday. “Your level of intensity has increased, so you’re exerting a ton more effort, which you’re not used to.
“… We need reps at it because you’re exerting more energy physically. You’re exerting more energy mentally because you’ve got to be locked into the game plan because [the Warriors] are that good. And then you’re getting hit. You’re getting grabbed. There’s somebody always in your face. And when you do get free, you’re like, ‘Ahhh’ [panicked].”
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The Kings’ offense hasn’t looked like itself lately. Warriors center Kevon Looney has bodied Sabonis down low, and their perimeter defenders are getting in the way of Sacramento’s potent dribble-handoffs.
But Brown is keeping his message consistent heading into Game 4 at Chase Center on Sunday.
“We’ve got to go through it. We’ve got to find a way,” Brown said. “I 100 percent believe in all of our guys shooting the ball. We’re going to keep telling them to let it fly. They have to.”
