Kings Go Wire-To-Wire For Second Straight Win
Jan 27, 2021, 6:43 PM | Updated: 7:09 pm
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
All Sacramento starters finished in double-figures on Wednesday night in Orlando
After allowing over 120 points in eight-straight contests and losing nine of their last 11 games, the Sacramento Kings have found new life.
The defensive intensity was back on Wednesday night, with the Kings holding the Orlando Magic to 41-percent shooting in a 121-107 win, the team’s second-straight victory.
Sacramento (7-10) saw massive production out of its starting lineup, with all five players finishing in double-figures and three players posting double-doubles.
It was the team’s first wire-to-wire victory of the season, as the Magic never held a lead during Wednesday’s action.
The Kings would burst out of the gates with a 20-9 run to open things up, largely in thanks to a strong start by Buddy Hield.
Hield was feeling it early, scoring 15 points on three-of-five shooting from beyond the three-point line in the first-half. ‘Buddy Buckets’ would top the 20-point mark for the third time this season, pouring in a season-high 29 points on seven-of-12 shooting from downtown.
“We need that. It’s a tough league to win in. To give that type of (game) from him will give us a much better chance,” Kings head coach Luke Walton told the media postgame.
Since January 17th’s loss against the Pelicans, Hield has turned over a new leaf, knocking down 50-percent of his three-point attempts (18-of-36) over his last four games.
“When he gets it going the way he got it going tonight we are very difficult to guard,” center Richaun Holmes said after the game.
Along with Hield’s productive half, forward Marvin Bagley III got into a groove early as well.
Bagley made his presence known early on Wednesday, posting a double-double before the end of the second quarter–his second double-double in as many games.
The third-year big posted 11 points and 10 boards during the first-half, helping pace the Kings to a 65-50 halftime advantage. The former Duke Blue Devil would collect a career-high eight offensive rebounds, finishing the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds over only 22 minutes of action.
Sacramento would defeat the infamous ‘third quarter monster’, outscoring Orlando 31-27 in the period to take a commanding 96-77 lead into the final frame.
Orlando would go on a mini-run of their own, cutting the Kings lead to 13 with under nine minutes remaining.
Harrison Barnes would create some big plays on back-to-back sequences, drawing a charge call before knocking down a big three to put the Kings up 105-88 with less than eight minutes remaining.
Barnes would finish with 21 points on eight-of-11 shooting to go along with five rebounds and two steals.
When the Kings get solid production out of Barnes the results often show up in the win column, as the 28-year-old has been very impressive in the team’s seven victories.
Since the day that he was signed by Sacramento last offseason, Richaun Holmes has been a difference maker in seemingly every way for this Kings team.
The fan-favorite had yet another strong performance against the Magic, finishing with 20 points on eight-of-11 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds–his fourth double-double of the young season.
Through 17 games, Holmes has been as productive as any center in the league, acting as the league-leader in field-goal percentage as of Wednesday night (68%).
After a rough start to the game, De’Aaron Fox found his stride in the second-half, posting his second double-double of the season with a 16-point, 10-assist performance.
Fox narrowly missed his first triple-double of the season, finishing with eight rebounds in the winning effort.
Hassan Whiteside made his return to the floor after missing the previous five games due to a sore hip.
The veteran center contributed with nine points on four-of-six shooting and six rebounds off of the Sacramento bench during his 16 minutes of action.
Sacramento was active on offense, dishing 30 assists on 48-percent shooting from the field and a blistering 42-percent shooting on three-point attempts as a team.
Rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton struggled from the field on Wednesday (three-of-11), but made up for his shooting struggles with seven assists and a blocked shot.
Since a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last week, the Kings have looked like a completely different team over its last two contests.
Friday’s win over the Knicks was a strong step in the right direction for the team, with Wednesday’s effort in Orlando hopefully acting as a definite sign that Sacramento is back to its competitive ways.
The two-game winning streak has showcased shades of the team that we witnessed during the 3-1 start to open up the season last month.
Can they keep it up this weekend during a tough back-to-back? Real tests are on the horizon for the Sacramento Kings team.
Coming Up
The Kings will travel to Florida on Friday night for a matchup with the Toronto Raptors in the first game of a back-to-back.
Due to traveling restrictions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Raptors will be playing all of their home games for the 2020-21 regular season at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Sacramento took a big lead early against Toronto earlier this month at Golden 1 Center before faltering late, allowing the Raptors to set a new franchise-record of 144 points in a blowout loss.
Be sure to tune in right here on Sports 1140 KHTK for all of the action, starting with pregame coverage at 4:00pm PST with tip-off following at 4:30pm PST.
