Kings hold Keegan Murray out late in loss to Blazers

Murray wasn't on the floor when the game got decided, and the explanation came after the final horn.

James Ham

@James_HamNBA

Doug Christie said that Keegan Murray had gone to the locker room at some point. He came back out and was ready to play, but it had been a while so he held him out as a precaution.

So it reads as caution, not a new injury. Murray went back to the locker room at some point, came out saying he was ready, and Christie decided he'd been sitting too long to throw him back in cold. Fine. The problem is the timing. Murray finished with 12 points, a step up from the 2 he scored in the opener against the Clippers, and Sacramento needed every bit of it once Portland took over. The Kings led 64-59 at halftime and then gave up 69 points in the second half in their home opener.

It wasn't the stars' fault. Darius Acuff Jr. scored 33 on 10-of-26 shooting and Domantas Sabonis put up a 27-point, 19-rebound, 10-assist triple-double on 10-of-13 from the field. Christie singled out that Sabonis-Acuff two-man game afterward, and he also went right at the third-quarter collapse, which he called the difference again.

Sean Cunningham

@SeanCunningham

Kings head coach Doug Christie analyzes tonight's loss to the Trail Blazers, being aware of the 3rd quarter struggles and seeing it as a difference maker again tonight, and the two-man game between Domantas Sabonis and Darius Acuff Jr. t.co/thto8y86z0

That word 'again' is the scary part. 2 games in and the Kings already have a pattern, and Christie knows it. The bench didn't do much to help, either, starting with a guy who should have been a boost.

James Ham

@James_HamNBA

6. Joined the party...sort of. Malik Monk missed all of preseason and the first game of the season due to an ankle problem. He made his way back out onto the court in game two and he is clearly not in rhythm yet. Monk played 12 minutes and went 0-for-6 from the field.

Malik Monk had been upgraded to available before tipoff after sitting out the Clippers loss with the ankle problem, and he looked exactly like someone who missed all of preseason: 12 minutes, 0-for-6. Nobody should panic over 1 night of rust, but a Kings team that leans on him for bench scoring can't afford a long ramp-up. The one reserve who did bring something was Precious Achiuwa, and James Ham is ready to promote him.

James Ham

@James_HamNBA

5. Is it Precious time? With De'Andre Hunter struggling, it might be time to move onto Achiuwa with the opening group. Achiuwa brought energy and toughness to the court. He finished the night with 14 points and 6 rebounds, but it's more about the energy he brings than the numbers.

Achiuwa had 14 points and 6 rebounds off the bench, but Ham's point is the energy and toughness, which is exactly what went missing in the second half. If De'Andre Hunter keeps struggling, Christie moving Achiuwa into the starting group stops being a hot take and becomes the obvious fix.

Next up is Memphis on Sunday. Things to watch: whether Murray is a full go after the locker-room trip, whether Monk shakes off the rust, and whether Christie touches the starting lineup. Starting 0-2 isn't a crisis yet. Blowing second halves like this is how a crisis starts.