Kings Battle Back from 20 Down, Snap Eight Game Losing Streak
Jan 2, 2020, 10:53 PM | Updated: 10:53 pm
Photo by: Kimani Okearah
The losing streak has finally come to a close after the Sacramento Kings’ 128-123 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. Sacramento overcame a prolific offensive start for the Grizzlies, turning and early 20-point deficit into a three point lead at halftime.
“I think tonight is a really good example to be able to show the team what we are preaching about. One of the things we talked pre-game is consistency. We need to play more of a 48 minute (game) but we scrapped out a win,” said Kings head coach Luke Walton.
De’Aaron Fox was brilliant on both ends of the floor, filling the stat sheet with 27 points, nine assists, four rebounds, five steals and a couple blocks.
“He is what we call the head of our snake,” said Walton, “We have a lot of guys that we believe can step in and be a leader for us, (but) we think Fox is really the guy that is going to take the group to the next level. He’s young and that’s a lot to put on his plate but he knows (how important he is)”.
“The way we pushed the pace today I think definitely helped me a lot,” added Fox.
Sacramento finished with 23 fast break points, converting on 83% of their opportunities. Buddy Hield struggled defensively early, but managed to add 26 points to the Kings’ total. Walton complemented Hield on his defensive effort after the first quarter, and said that the team needs more consistency on defense from him if they want to eventually win playoff games and compete for championships.
Richaun Holmes was, once again, a factor for the Kings, who’s energy helped lead Sacramento to a 37-18 second quarter. He tallied 18 points, seven rebounds and a couple blocks. Fans even gave him some “M.V.P” chants as a show of appreciation when he stepped to the free-throw line.
When asked about the fan support, Holmes had a a big smile on his face, “Man it was great. That’s not something I’ve experienced. To have the fans give me that love, I appreciate it”.
In the fourth quarter, Bogdan Bogdanovic left the game and limped to the locker room with an apparent right ankle injury. He reassured the media that he was alright after the game, “I just shot the ball and I felt some pinching in the back of my ankle. I’ve been playing through it all the time but today was a harder pain”.
The Kings earned their 13th win of the season and now set their sights on the New Orleans Pelicans, who come into the Golden 1 Center on Saturday night. They currently are on a four game winning streak, but will take on the Lakers in Los Angeles on Friday.
