I went into the Gauntlet thinking that the Sacramento Kings would be lucky to win a third of their games in their matchups against each franchise’s all-time greats. After all, when you add up all the all-time win-loss records, the Kings rank 24th out of 30 teams, according to Wikipedia.
But, somehow the Kings went 18-11 for a winning percentage of .621. They even beat some of the teams that you wouldn’t have expected, most notably the Celtics and the Lakers.
As it turns out, when you pull players from a franchise’s entire history, it seems anybody’s 12 can compete with anyone’s else 12, they’re all that good.
The three-point shot turned out to be a great equalizer. Most of the Kings I used were from 2000 on and could shoot three-pointers. Many teams’ key players, and in some cases most of their rosters, were from the 1980s and before, and they didn’t shoot threes. Both the Kings and their opponents finished with identical 46.7% shooting percentages. But the Kings made 8.1 three-pointers a game to 6.8 for opponents (something that was typically more pronounced in wins vs. losses).
Either way, I loved my first time using Highlight Maker Hoops Prime Time. It’ll stay on the table for my next basketball project, though it will be joined by others. More Kings basketball will be forthcoming!
| Team | PPG | FG% | 3FGM | 3FG% | FTM | FT% | RB/pg | A/pg | TO/pg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | 113.5 | .467 | 235 | .354 | 623 | .799 | 51.2 | 28.2 | 12.4 |
| Opponent | 112.1 | .467 | 196 | .396 | 660 | .785 | 50.4 | 27.8 | 12.6 |
| Player | Stats |
|---|---|
| Mitch Richmond | 19.2 ppg, 54 3FGM, 2.8 rpg |
| Peja Stojakovic | 16.8 ppg, 83 3FGM, 5.2 rpg, 2.8 apg |
| Oscar Robertson | 16.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 6.1 apg, 55.8% FG |
| DeMarcus Cousins | 15.5 ppg, 44 3FGM, 9.6 rpg |
| Domantas Sabonis | 11.0 ppg, 29 3FGM, 7.8 rpg, 3.8 apg |
| Nate Archibald | 8.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 5.3 apg |
| Chris Webber | 8.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 53.7% FG |
| Vlade Divac | 6.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 50.3% FG |
| Mike Bibby | 5.7 ppg, 19 3FGM, 1.2 rpg, 3.6 apg |
| Doug Christie | 3.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg |
| Season Highs | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 37 vs. Cleveland | 8 vs. Milwaukee | 7 vs. Milwaukee |
| Stojakovic | 28 vs. Phoenix | 12 vs. Chicago | 6, twice |
| Robertson | 34 vs. L.A. Lakers | 10 vs. Toronto | 11, twice |
| Cousins | 33 vs. Chicago | 20 vs. Chicago | 4 vs. Cleveland |
| Sabonis | 21 vs. Charlotte | 17 vs. Charlotte | 6, four times |
| Archibald | 20 vs. Minnesota | 5 vs. Golden State | 10 vs. Milwaukee |
| Webber | 20 vs. Houston | 13 vs. Philadelphia | 3 vs. L.A. Lakers |
| Divac | 13, twice | 14 vs. Orlando | 4, twice |
| Bibby | 13, twice | 4, four times | 10 vs. Portland |
| Christie | 16 vs. Portland | 5, twice | 3, three times |
| Season Highs | Kings | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 141 vs. Cleveland (2OT) 129 vs. Miami | 144 by Cleveland (2OT) 137 by Oklahoma City |
| Field Goal % | .544 vs. Miami | .571 by L.A. Lakers |
| Three-Pointers Made | 15 vs. Cleveland (2OT) 14 vs. Milwaukee | 15 by Portland |
| Free Throws Made | 32 vs. Detroit (OT) 30 vs. Washington | 42 by Utah |
| Offensive Rebounds | 17 vs. Chicago (OT) 15 vs. Dallas | 19 by San Antonio |
| Fouls | 38 vs. Utah | 32 by Detroit (OT) 27 by Orlando, Phoenix |
| Assists | 37 vs. Cleveland (2OT) 36 vs. Houston, Milwaukee | 36 by Chicago (OT) 34 by L.A. Lakers, Philadelphia |
| Turnovers | 21 vs. Chicago (OT) 18 vs. New York | 18 by New York |
| Blocked Shots | 7 vs. Houston | 8 by Oklahoma City |
| Steals | 12 vs. Portland | 18 by Chicago (OT) 12 by Boston |
| Season Highs | Kings | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 37, Richmond vs. CLE (2OT) | 66, LeBron James, CLE (2OT) |
| Field Goals Made | 14, Richmond vs. CLE (2OT) | 22, LeBron James, CLE (2OT) |
| Field Goal Attempts | 27, Richmond vs. DET (OT) | 37, LeBron James, CLE (2OT) |
| Three-Pointers Made | 8, Richmond vs, CLE (2OT) | 7, Kemba Walker, CHA |
| Three-Point Attempts | 16, Richmond vs, CLE (2OT) | 17, Paul George, IND |
| Free Throws Made | 14, Robertson vs. LAL | 17, LeBron James, CLE (2OT) |
| Free Throw Attempts | 17, Robertson vs, LAL | 20, LeBron James, CLE (2OT) |
| Offensive Rebounds | 6, Cousins vs. CHI (OT) 6, Sabonis vs. CHA | 6, Bob McAdoo, LAC |
| Total Rebounds | 20, Cousins vs. CHI (OT) | 17, Joel Embiid, PHI |
| Assists | 11, Robertson vs. MEM & SAS | 13, Mookie Blaylock, ATL |
| Turnovers | 5, several | 5, several |
| Blocked Shots | 4, Cousins vs. ATL | 4, Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN 4, Alvin Adams, PHX |
| Steals | 5, Stojakovic vs. HOU | 8, Scottie Pippen, CHI (OT) |
| 30-Point Games Richmond 5, Cousins 2, Robertson 1 |
| 20-Point Games Stojakovic 10, Richmond 9, Cousins 8, Robertson 7, Sabonis 2, Archibald 1, Webber 1 |
| 10-Point Games Richmond 27, Robertson 27, Stojakovic 24, Cousins 23, Sabonis 17, Archibald 13, Webber 10, Divac 8, Bibby 5, Christie 1 |
| 20-Rebound Games Cousins 1 |
| 10-Rebound Games Cousins 14, Webber 7, Sabonis 5, Divac 3, Robertson 1, Stojakovic 1 |
| 10-Assist Games Robertson 2, Archibald 1, Bibby 1 |
| Double-Doubles Cousins 13, Robertson 3, Sabonis 3, Webber 2, Bibby 1, Divac 1, Stojakovic 1 |
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 