Last week, I wrote about Joel Embiid becoming the ninth player in NBA history to score 70 points; well, just four days later, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks became the tenth player to do it. The Mavericks had lost three games in a row prior to their game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, January 26th, and Doncic and the Mavericks just wanted to get a win. It apparently took 73 points from their top player to make that happen. The Mavericks still barely squeaked by the Hawks, 148-143. And, no, this high score did not come in overtime. That was all in regulation. I think we are going to see more and more performances like this in the coming years as the NBA keeps getting faster and the players get more efficient. Congratulations to Luka Doncic for tying Wilt Chamberlain and David Thompson for the fourth highest-scoring game in history.

Let’s talk about the Kings! After breaking their four-game losing streak last week against the Atlanta Hawks, they have kept their winning streak going, winning the next three games of their seven-game road trip. I’m pleased to report that after a very scary fourth quarter, where I was convinced Steph Curry was going to shoot a game-winner on us, we beat the Golden State Warriors by one point, 134-133, on Thursday, January 25th. After those two game-winning shots for the opposing team last week, I just don’t feel good with a one-point lead at the end of a game unless we have the ball in our hands. But the Kings’ defense stepped it up in the last few seconds, and Curry didn’t even get a shot off.

Next, the Kings beat Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, but the Mavs might have been tired because it was the day after Doncic’s 73-point performance. The Kings beat the Mavericks 120-115. After that, the Kings traveled to Memphis to take on a very short-handed Grizzlies team. And when I say short-handed, I mean it. They had 11 players on their injury report and only eight men on their roster (the minimum amount), including a guy named Matthew Hurt, who they signed that day, who played 23 minutes and scored 10 points. The Kings have been struggling against short-handed teams this year, and this game was no different. This should have been an easy win, and that was definitely not the case. Luckily, after the Grizzlies took the lead in the fourth quarter, the Kings were able to come back and get the win, but it was ugly. The bright spot of the night was that Domantas Sabonis recorded a career-high 26 rebounds to go along with his 20 points and five assists. We definitely needed that performance! I’m happy the Kings won, but this is not a team that is going to win in the playoffs, and something needs to change.

I may be reporting some roster changes next week; the NBA trade deadline is next Thursday, February 8th, at 3 p.m. Until then, the Kings will have continued their road trip in Miami against the Heat on Wednesday, January 31st, and then will move on to play a back-to-back in Indiana against the Pacers on Friday, February 2nd, and in Chicago against the Bulls on Saturday, February 3rd; they will be in Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers on Monday, February 5th; and then move on to Detroit to play the Pistons on Wednesday, February 7th. Let’s keep this win streak going! Go Kings!