.|《 #NBA 🎙🕶🎙》| Sacramento Kings Back Pedal After Humbling Start

. Sacramento Kings haven't been playing with consistency after a 3-1 start. The Kings are now 1-5 going into a matchup with the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 11.

.Publicity Agents photo art by T. Ray Harvey. Jan. 9, 2021.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Sacramento, Calif. [California Black Media] — .Right out the gates of a seven-game homestand, the Sacramento Kings had to face three of the best backcourt duos in the NBA.

.Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, the third twin pack of the first three games at Golden 1 Center, could arguably be the best ball handlers and shooters in the league for the 2020-2021 season.

.Shooting guard McCollum had 37 points in a 125-99 Trail Blazers (4-5) victory over the Kings on Saturday, Jan. 9. In just over 29 minutes, McCollum made six of 11 3-point baskets. Lillard added 17 points.

.The Kings (4-6) were down by 31 points in the contest. The deficit is a large stretch from the earlier games when the Kings started 3-1 and was developing an identity on defense. They have seemed to have lost that cohesion.

“It’s good to get off to a start like that. Especially on the road,” said McCollum, who had 16 points in the first half. “I thought we got out, ran got some easy baskets, and blew the game open pretty early on.”

. Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton is closely defended by Portland Trail Blazers players Damian Lillard, and Robert Covington. .Publicity Agents photo art by T. Ray Harvey. Jan. 9, 2021.

.It’s been looking really easy early on for opposing teams in G1C. The Kings are 1-2 on the home floor to open 2021. But the defense has faded and the guards have been running up the points.

.Zach LaVine and Coby White of the Chicago Bulls combined for 68 points in their 128-124 To the Kings on Jan. 6. Fred VanVleet and Nick Powell teamed up for 56 points to route the Kings 144-123 on Jan. 8.

.Those six players in the first three games made 65 of 115 buckets from the field (56.5%). In addition to their shot selections, the starting backcourts were 23 of 52 from beyond the arc (44%).

.It doesn’t get any easier for the Kings with Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladip0 of the Indiana Pacers coming to town on Jan.10. The last biggest lead the Kings had on all three teams were the Raptors with 24 points.

.Kings head coach Luke Walton said his team is having a serious problem with “consistency” on both of the ends of the floor and the players themselves know it, too. They also know that these issues can be fixed.

“Right now, we’re really just beating ourselves,” said King’s forward Harrison Barnes, perhaps the only player playing adequately. “Credit to the teams that we’ve played and their ability to score. But when you look at the tapes and what’s going on the floor we’re putting ourselves at a deficit on multiple possessions and multiple runs. A lot of that is something we can control but we haven’t done a good job of that right now of addressing that.”

T