Big Second Half Powers Kings To Win Over Warriors
Dec 15, 2019, 8:24 PM | Updated: 8:24 pm
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Sacramento outscores Golden State 49-37 in the second half to win their 12th game of the season
Not even 48 hours removed from their worst loss of the season, the Sacramento Kings bounced back in a big way on Sunday night.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 25 points and dished five assists, Buddy Hield added 19 points and the Kings defeated the Golden State Warriors by a final score of 100-79 in their first appearance at the brand-new Chase Center in downtown San Francisco.
The Kings have won four of their last five games as they improve to 12-14 on the season, taking sole possession of the seventh spot in the Western Conference Standings.
With the win, Sacramento snapped a five-game losing streak against Golden State, beating the Warriors for the first time since March 16, 2018.
It was a sloppy game all around on Sunday night as both teams combined for 50 turnovers. Sacramento flirted with a big lead early, but couldn’t create enough space as the Warriors fought back from an early double-digit deficit. Coming into the second half with a nine point lead, the Kings offense came alive as they would go on to outscore Golden State 28-17 in the third quarter to all but put the game away for good.
Per Tim Maxwell of Sactown Royalty, the 29 turnovers by the Kings were the most in a win in the Sacramento era.
Bogdanovic scored 25 points on nine-of-11 from the field to lead Sacramento in scoring. Buddy Hield snapped his 10-game streak of scoring 20-points or more, finishing with 19 points on eight-of-11 from the field. Harrison Barnes added 15 points in the win against his former squad.
In his third game back from injury, Marvin Bagley III turned in his best performance yet.
The second-year forward scored 17 points on seven-of-13 from the field while grabbing six rebounds in just 22 minutes of action.
Former Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein finished with 14 points, five rebounds and six steals in his first game against his old team. Cauley-Stein signed a two-year deal with the Warriors in the offseason after spending four seasons in Sacramento.
Fox Return Soon?
When De’Aaron Fox went down with a severely sprained ankle last month, the initial reaction was that Fox would be lucky to get back on the floor before the All-Star break.
Think again.
Before Sunday’s game, the third-year guard participated in a pregame workout with assistant coach Bobby Jackson. Shortly after, James Ham of NBC Sports reported that barring a setback, Fox will return in Sacramento’s next game on Tuesday against the Charlotte Hornets.
This is beyond exciting news for the Kings, who have sorely missed their franchise star over the last 17 games. While Sacramento had stayed afloat with a 9-8 record in Fox’s absence, they have missed his ability to push the pace and scoring ability on the fast break.
With Fox returning, Cory Joseph can slide back into his role as backup point guard and defensive specialist.
Coming Up
Sacramento will look to avenge their loss against Charlotte from earlier this season when they travel to North Carolina on Tuesday night.
Back on October 30, the Hornets handed the Kings their fifth straight loss to open up the season as they overcame 23 points from Buddy Hield for a 118-111 win.
Tuesday night could feature the return of De’Aaron Fox as Sacramento aims for their fourth-straight road victory. Catch all of the action right here on Sports 1140 KHTK with pregame coverage beginning at 3:30pm followed by tip-off at 4:00pm.
