Butler, Heat Hold Off Late Push From Fox, Kings
Jan 30, 2021, 7:55 PM | Updated: 7:56 pm
(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
De’Aaron Fox dropped 30 points but Sacramento couldn’t win it at the buzzer on Saturday night
There is a common joke among Sacramento Kings social media, with the joke being that star players always return from injury or absence against the Kings.
Saturday night gave everyone yet another example of how that assessment is pretty spot-on.
All-Star forward Jimmy Butler returned from his 10-game absence, scoring a season-high 30 points, including the game-winning bucket in a 105-104 Miami Heat win over the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento (8-11) had a chance to push their winning-streak to four on the final possession, but the Heat doubled De’Aaron Fox and partially blocked Richaun Holmes’ final attempt as the horn sounded.
Fox did all that he could in the final period, scoring 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Kings in the game.
Butler’s go ahead basket with 42 seconds left to give the Heat a 105-104 advantage would go on to be the final, with Fox missing a go-ahead attempt on the following possession.
Sacramento’s star guard topped the 20-point mark for the 13th game this season, finishing the night 12-of-26 from the field and three-of-eight from the free-throw line.
Fox’s struggles at the charity stripe are glaring, as the 23-year-old is shooting well under 70-percent for the season. If Fox can figure out his struggles at the line, his 20-point average could easily jump to 25 points per game or higher.
Buddy Hield started off Saturday night’s game on a good note, knocking down his first three triples to help pace the Kings to an 11-point lead entering the second quarter.
The veteran sharpshooter would lose his stroke late, finishing the night six-of-fifteen from the field and six-of-13 from the three-point line.
Marvin Bagley III scored 16 points on seven-of-eight shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds and two steals over 26 minutes, once again the least amount of minutes played by a Kings starter.
Rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton, Friday night’s hero in the win against Toronto, flirted with a triple-double in the loss against Miami.
The 20-year-old scored 10 points while dishing six assists and grabbing seven rebounds.
For the first time since January 8th, Kyle Guy was given a chance to see some minutes on Saturday night in Miami. Guy scored five points over 16 minutes, also contributing with four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Sacramento had a very strong first quarter, outscoring Miami 35-24 over the opening 12 minutes of action.
Miami would go on to outscore the Kings 60-42 over the second and third quarters, proving to be the difference at the end of the night. Along with being outscored in the second and third Sacramento was significantly overshadowed in free-throw shooting against the Heat:
Sacramento: 5/11 (45%)
Miami: 22-26 (84%)
Although the Kings were playing on the second-game of a back-to-back, the game was there for the taking.
It’s a learning curve, of course. But these are the games that good teams win. Miami had lost five games in-a-row. Most of the roster had been out of action or was considered questionable coming into play on Saturday night.
The game was there for the taking and the Kings let it slip through their fingers.
Coming Up
Sacramento will travel to New Orleans on Monday night to complete their four-game road-trip when the face Zion Williamson and the Pelicans.
In their only meeting so far this season, the Kings dropped a close game at Golden 1 Center on January 17th, falling by a final of 128-123.
Be sure to tune in for all of the action right here on Sports 1140 KHTK, starting with pregame coverage at 4:30pm PST with tip-off following at 5:00pm PST.
