The Sacramento Kings had a chance to win with 3.6 seconds remaining, but they ran the wrong play.
“We worked today on a play (at shootaround),” Kings coach Doug Christie late Tuesday after a last-second loss to the Dallas Mavericks. “And the guys chose to run ‘wide.’”
The result: DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine ran toward the in-bounder, Dennis Schroder, bringing two defenders to the same area. DeRozan received the pass, took one dribble and tried a running 29-foot 3-pointer that clanked off the back rim and the Kings lost, 100-98.
“I almost ran on the court telling them. Everyone knew the play, and they ran ‘wide’ which was not my choice in that moment,” Christie said.
The loss dropped Sacramento to 8-29, half a game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the worst record in the Western Conference, while the Kings’ losing streak extended to six games. The Kings scored just 40 points in the second half — 20 in each of the third and fourth quarters — and lost despite leading the game for more than 43 minutes.
The Kings began Tuesday with the 29th-ranked offense in the fourth quarter despite having DeRozan, who last season finished third in the NBA in fourth quarter points, fifth in clutch points and third in clutch shots made. DeRozan had 5 of his 21 game-high points in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s rock fight.
“We just gotta be better in execution,” DeRozan said. “Understanding what we can take advantage of. Spacing, timing and spacing, understanding how teams are playing us, if they’re doubling, who they’re doubling and where they’re doubling from.
“I just think being more organized. With us, more so than anything, that’s our only issue. We don’t give ourselves, consistently, chances to get good shots off, good looks off.”
The game stayed close throughout the fourth quarter. There were four lead changes and neither team led by more than 5. The Kings shot 8-of-23 in the frame and made just one of their eight attemptsfrom 3-point range.
They had a chance to send the game into overtime with a 2-point basket after Naji Marshall missed two free throws to keep Sacramento alive. LaVine drew a fouled from Max Christie, setting up the Kings for a set play, and their final shot was DeRozan’s low-percentage heave off one foot.
“The last one, I wish we could have gotten to our point, to my point, just being more organized, understanding what we get, instead of trying to rely on (a) one-legged 30 footer,” DeRozan said. “Just gotta give ourselves a better chance.”
Christie said the play he wanted to run would have had DeRozan running to the corner with a misdirection, LaVine running to the top of the key through a double “elevator” screen, and then Keon Ellis getting a screen on the back side of the play from center Dylan Cardwell.
“So you had three looks at an open look, hopefully,” Christie said. “And oddly enough we went through it today at shootaround and the opportunity presented itself. So the execution wasn’t what we wanted.”
Christie throughout the season has said he’s far more focused on improving the Kings defensively, and he trusted his core offensive players to score enough points to help the team remain competitive. But his messaging was different following the loss on Tuesday.
“Holding them to 100 points, defensively (it was) solid enough to win the game,” Christie said. “I have to figure out a way to help them offensively. Ball has to move. We came out in the third quarter, and it just wasn’t it. We have to make sure that we’re finding the ability to move the ball and move bodies.
“The second half, part of it is our offense also affects our defense. And that just can’t happen. We have to find that rhythm for sure.”