Tyrese Haliburton made his first career start on Saturday, but that may have been the only bright spot from the contest as the Sacramento Kings lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, 125-99.
With Richaun Holmes out due to an ankle injury, Kings head coach Luke Walton moved Haliburton into the starting lineup. Haliburton responded by producing 12 points and a team-high eight assists in nearly 31 minutes of action.
The 12th overall pick continued a strong start to his rookie campaign but his effort wasn’t enough as the Kings struggled throughout the contest to the Trail Blazers. Sacramento trailed by as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter following a poor showing on defense, something the players know must improve.
“It was a poor performance by us,” Haliburton said. “I think they had 66 at halftime, you can’t give that up consistently in an NBA game and expect to win. It’s frustrating. We’re young but that’s not an excuse by any means. We gotta figure it out. There is nobody coming to save us, we gotta do it ourselves. At the end of the day, we’re the guys on the court and we just gotta be better.”
After starting off the season with a 3-1 record, the Kings have since gone 1-5 and have struggled on both ends of the floor. The inconsistent play as of late should lead to a discussion on a potential change to the starting lineup and rotation as the team looks to get back on track.
Amidst the struggles, though, Haliburton has continued to look like one of the biggest steals of the draft. The team certainly isn’t looking for moral victories at this point but they know they have a player poised for a bright future ahead.
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