It was a dismal end to a dismal year for the Sacramento Kings as they got manhandled by the Memphis Grizzlies 114-96 on New Years Eve. The Kings started off decent, keeping pace with the Grizzlies, but started to tail off as the 1st quarter went on. Memphis used Mario Chalmers and former King Tyreke Evans to hurt the Kings from downtown.
The quarter ended with Memphis on top 36-22. Frank Mason III bruised his right heel after a free throw attempt and did not return to the game. Things didn’t get better in the 2nd with the Grizzlies jumping out to a twenty point lead mid-quarter. Willie Cauley-Stein helped to lower the gap with 14 first half points, but they still went into halftime down 64-46.
If the 2nd quarter was bad, then the 3rd quarter was exponentially worse. Sacramento’s shooting percentage dipped to 38% and fell behind by 30 points. Free throw shooting was also an issue as they only shot 13 of 25 (52%) on the night. However, Kings fans did not watch in vain as they got a coupon for a free Jumbo Jack burger after Marc Gasol missed two consecutive free throws, producing by far the loudest cheer of the night.
It made the rest of the game somewhat sufferable as Sacramento slumped to a 114-96 loss to end 2017. Evans was the highest scorer for Memphis with 26 points while Cauley-Stein put up 21 for the Kings. With a 12-24 record in 2017, Sacramento will hope to start 2018 with a win against the Hornets on Tuesday.
