they are the worst team in the fourth quarter

Sacramento got his evening off to a perfect start dallas : six 3-pointers in the first quarter alone, a start as dazzling as it is deceptive when we know the Kings are averaging 10.5 points per game this season. Except, very quickly, the sights went wrong, to the extent that they transformed this ideal start into a simple mirage: 9/31 at the end beyond the arc, with the second quarter symbolizing the California black hole (0/7).

And the worst came after the break. Sacramento’s offense was completely shut down in the second half, limited to 40 points, unable to produce easy shots or maintain any rhythm. An extended meltdown that culminated at the last minute on the contrary, between haste and bad choices.

“We need to do things better”, summarizes DeMar DeRozan. “We have to better understand how to spread the game, how the opponents play. If they make two shots: which players and where are they coming from? We have to be better organized. We don’t give ourselves enough opportunities to get an open shot.”

Bad analysis in the last moments

Down by just two points after Brandon Williams’ game-winning shot, the Kings still decided to stick with the 3-pointers: Attempts Dennis Schroder then Russell Westbrook miss the target.

Dallas gave them another blow when Naji Marshall left two batters on the road and then Max Christie reached on an error to break up the rhythm. Sacramento then returns the last possession, with four seconds to play, without a timeout: a situation that Doug Christie expected before the game. Except that…

“We didn’t have more timeouts to start with, but we worked the system today and they didn’t execute it,” the coach whispers. “DeMar had to go to the corner, Zach had to go back with “elevator” screens. when Keon benefited from a Dylan Cardwell screen. This gives three open shots. »

Instead, DeMar DeRozan takes a complicated shot, off-balance, on one leg, a good yard from the 3-point line. The lack. Sacramento lost 98-100 to remain winless in 2026.

Bad choices

As for me, I should have done a better job of analyzing what we could have gotten instead of relying on a one-foot shot from the 3-point line. laments DeMar DeRozan. “I should have found a better opportunity to make something happen.” »

This failed conclusion, however, is not an isolated case. Sacramento regularly pays for its sloppy endings: the Kings have the worst “net rating” (the difference between points scored and conceded over 100 possessions) this NBA season in the fourth quarter, with -11.3.

“We need to be able to finish games better”Doug Christie insisted. “DeMar DeRozan is one of the most determined players in the league, but we have to be more patient, pick our shots better in these moments. We work on that and if the defenders come to help, you pass to whoever is open so he can make his shot. Tonight, of all things, that didn’t happen.”

The Kings will try to snap a six-game losing streak when they travel to San Francisco on Friday.