Sacramento Ends Losing Streak, Hold Knicks Under 100 Points In Win
Jan 22, 2021, 9:51 PM | Updated: 10:44 pm
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Kings had their best defensive showing of the season on Friday night, swatting a season-high 14 shots
A very dark cloud has been hanging over the Sacramento Kings for over a week, with four-straight losses and a shaky defense
On Friday night at Golden 1 Center, the franchise enjoyed some long awaited sunshine.
Richaun Holmes, Tyrese Haliburton and the rest of the Kings brought the defensive intensity, holding the New York Knicks under 100 points in a much-needed 103-94 win.
It was the best defensive showing of the season for the Kings, as the team held an opponent to under 100 points for the first time this season.
With the win, Sacramento (6-10) snaps a four-game losing streak.
The Kings were in control early in the fourth quarter, taking a 10-point lead over the Knicks with under nine minutes remaining.
New York would respond with a run of their own, cutting the Kings lead to 89-87 with four left in regulation. Sacramento would go on a final run to seal the game, with standout rookie Tyrese Haliburton putting the finishing touches on the night with a huge three-pointer to give the Kings a nine-point lead with two minutes remaining.
Haliburton got off to a hot start on Friday night, scoring 13 points on six-of-eight shooting in the first-half.
While the rookie’s offense was a big boost in the first half, his defense would be a difference maker in the win. Haliburton finished with a career-high four blocks to go along with five rebounds in two steals, proving that he holds the potential to be a stopper in this league.
Haliburton is absolutely in the mix for the Rookie of the Year race, with several league polls placing the 20-year-old near or at the top of their annual weekly rookie rankings.
Along with Haliburton’s efforts, the defensive intensity was noteworthy on Friday night, with Sacramento racking up a season-high 14 blocks in the win.
The last time that Sacramento blocked 14 shots in one game was against the Miami Heaton January 5, 2003.
It had been 10 games since the Kings defense had held an opponent under 115 points, as the Knicks were held to 38 percent from the field and a sluggish 22 percent from the three-point line.
De’Aaron Fox topped the 20-point mark yet again on Friday, scoring 22 points to go along with seven assists and three rebounds.
Fox knocked down three of his seven three-point attempts in the win, upping his season average to 36-percent on the season. The star guard has looked comfortable shooting the long-ball so far this season, a massive step in the right direction for the Kings franchise centerpiece.
After an incredible start to the season, Harrison Barnes saw his production take a hit, as the forward held averages of 9.3 points per game on 31-percent shooting from the field and 28-percent from the three-point line over his last four games coming into action against New York.
Barnes flirted with a triple-double in the victory, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists over 35 minutes.
Starting power forward Marvin Bagley III was listed as questionable last week due to a sore left-wrist.
The third-year big was in clear discomfort on Friday night, but the wrist pain would not hold the former Duke Blue Devil out of action against New York. Bagley finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points on five-of-12 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds.
It was a gritty performance by Bagley, who now will benefit from an extended four-day rest before Wednesday’s game against Orlando.
Sacramento had a strong night on the boards against the Knicks, with Richaun Holmes acting as the interior anchor once again.
Holmes grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with another game-high of six blocked shots. It is the second game this season that Holmes has racked up six blocks in a game, a career-high total for the 27-year-old.
Buddy Hield converted a three-point field goal for the 82nd straight game, equaling an entire season with at least one made three-pointer.
Hield finished with 11 points on three-of-six shooting from beyond the arc.
For the sixth-straight game, forward Nemanja Bjelica did not see the floor, sitting due to the decision of Luke Walton.
Bjelica, who has been the primary starting power forward for Sacramento over the past two seasons, has been benched in favor of Glenn Robinson III and Chimezie Metu.
Walton has stated in recent discussions with the media that Bjelica will be back in the rotation “soon”.
When is “soon”? That is the question.
Coming Up
Due to ongoing contract tracing within the Grizzlies organization, the upcoming back-to-back set between Memphis and Sacramento has been postponed.
The Kings were originally scheduled to face the Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum on Sunday and Monday. Those games will be rescheduled to a later date during the second-half of the season.
Due to the postponements, Sacramento’s next game will come on Wednesday night in Orlando.
Be sure to tune in for all of the action right here on Sports 1140 KHTK, starting with pregame coverage at 3:30pm PST with tip-off following at 4:00pm PST.
