There were zero ties, zero lead changes and zero reasons to believe the Kings could beat the Toronto Raptors on Monday night to salvage the last leg of a dreadful three-game road trip.
Chris Boucher scored 17 points to lead the Raptors to a 124-101 victory over the Kings on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena. Boucher was one of nine players who scored in double figures for the Raptors, who led by as many as 31 points.
“To be honest with you, I really have no idea what to say,” interim Kings coach Alvin Gentry said. “It was just embarrassing. That’s the only phrase that I think you can use is embarrassing.”
Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes had 16 points apiece for the Raptors (13-14), who have won four of their last five games.
De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points for the Kings (11-17), who will return to Sacramento to face the Washington Wizards on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center after losing three in a row on the road.
The Kings allowed three 30-point quarters against the Raptors. They have now given up 10 30-point quarters in their last four games.
The Kings trailed 11-0 after going 0 of 6 from the field with three turnovers over the first 3:31. They answered with a 10-0 run to get within one midway through the first quarter, but they trailed 30-22 going into the second.
The onslaught continued in the second quarter as Toronto used one Kings turnover after another to start what looked like a layup line. Toronto shot 55.3% with 38 field-goal attempts over the first 17:30 to open up a 19-point lead midway through the second period.
Thirty-point quarters were getting old, so the Kings gave up 40 in the second. The Raptors carried a 70-45 lead into the halftime break after shooting 60.8% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. They outscored the Kings 42-24 on points in the paint and 16-6 on fastbreak points.
The Raptors finished at 54.1% shooting with 28 assists and eight turnovers. On the defensive end, they had 10 steals and eight blocked shots.
The Kings shot 40.4% with 21 assists and 17 turnovers. They made just 11 of 34 (.324) from 3-point range and 14 of 21 at the free-throw line.
Marvin Bagley III came off the bench to record his third double-double in the past five games, posting 12 points and 11 rebounds. Alex Len added 12 points and eight rebounds. Tristan Thompson brought a little fire off the bench with 11 points and seven rebounds, but he couldn’t bring the Kings back from a 31-point deficit.
Harrison Barnes was held to three points on 1-of-9 shooting. Barnes has made 12 of 39 (.308) from the field since returning from a sprained right foot.
“I’m at a level where I can go out there and play,” Barnes said when asked how he was feeling physically. “Right now, I’m not playing at a level that I’m capable of playing at, so that’s on me to do better and do more for more team, but if I wasn’t at a level that I could play then I wouldn’t be out there.”
Tyrese Haliburton was also held to three points, but he attempted only two shots in 22 minutes.
Gentry said he was extremely disappointed with his team’s performance following Saturday’s 117-113 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“We talked about the way we started the game in Cleveland and how we had to start the game with the intensity that we played with in the third and fourth quarters (against the Cavaliers),” Gentry said. “Obviously, we didn’t do that. We had four turnovers on our first five possessions. We talked about not turning the ball over. We talked about getting back on defense, and none of those things really happened.
“And I’ll take responsibility because I’m supposed to have them prepared. It’s my job to have them prepared, so some kind of way we’re going to keep plugging away at it. I just know we’re not going to quit. I’ve never quit anything in my life and I’m not going to let these guys do it either, so we’ve got to find a way to get a group of guys who are going to compete.”
