Brooklyn Sets New Franchise Three-Point Record In Win Over Kings
Feb 15, 2021, 9:19 PM | Updated: 10:18 pm
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Behind a massive night from Kyrie Irving, the Nets set a new franchise record in three-point field goals on Monday night
It was a shootout at the Golden 1 Center on Monday night, with the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings putting on an offensive display over 48 minutes of action.
When the dust settled, the Nets came out on top by a final of 136-125 behind a huge night from Kyrie Irving, who scored 40 points on nine-of-11 shooting from three-point range.
With the loss, Sacramento (12-15) loses their fourth-straight game following a strong stretch of play that temporarily placed them back above the .500 mark.
Monday night’s game was looking like one that would come down to the wire, with Brooklyn holding an 82-80 lead over the Kings with 7:20 remaining in the third quarter.
Led behind the play of Irving and former league MVP James Harden, the Nets would catch fire during a 23-4 run to effectively put the game away for good.
The Sacramento offense was efficient, as the team ended the night with a 53-percent mark from the field and a 37-percent clip from the three-point line.
While the offense was dialed in, the defense–as has been the story this season–was nowhere to be found, allowing 136 points on an identical 57-percent from both the field and three-point line.
Brooklyn set a new franchise-record for three-point field goals made in a single-season game with 27 converted triples, topping the previous record of 24.
De’Aaron Fox finished with 19 points and eight assists for Sacramento over 34 minutes, but his backcourt mates also did a solid job of scoring the basketball against the Nets.
Buddy Hield, who had a very rough showing on Sunday night against the Memphis Grizzlies (one-of-eight from three-point range), shook off the rust for a big showing against the Nets defense on Monday.
Hield scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half on five-of-six shooting from three-point range to help keep Sacramento within 74-68 at the half.
The 28-year-old would have a quiet second-half, only knocking down one more three-point field goal over the final two periods.
Backup point guard Cory Joseph stepped into the starting lineup for the first time this season and put on his best offensive performance of his Sacramento Kings’ carer.
Joseph scored a season-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting, the second-highest scoring output of the veteran’s 10-year career.
After missing two games due to a sore left calf, third-year forward Marvin Bagley III returned to action on Monday night against Brooklyn.
Bagley scored 19 points (seven-of-13 shooting) and grabbed seven rebounds over only 19 minutes, as head coach Luke Walton disclosed before the game that the 21-year-old would be on a minutes restriction.
Kings starting center Richaun Holmes missed his second game of the season on Monday due to knee soreness.
Backup big-man Hassan Whiteside provided a solid boost off of the bench, posting his second double-double of the season with a season-high 26 points to go along with 16 rebounds–also a season-high.
Whiteside acted as a stopgap in the paint, blocking a game-high five shots in the loss against Brooklyn.
Forward Harrison Barnes continued to struggle on Monday, only being able to contribute four points on two-of-eight shooting from the field.
Barnes, who was enjoying the best season of his career until the recent four-game skid, has averaged 8.2 points per game on 34-percent shooting during the four-game losing streak.
After the Kings returned home from their successful road trip with a 12-11 record, things seemed as if they were trending in a positive direction for the franchise.
Just four games later, things have quickly de-escalated after a losing streak has sent Sacramento back towards the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
There is plenty of season left, with the midway point and All-Star break just nine games away.
Will general manager Monte McNair decide to buy and go for the 10th and final play-in spot? Or will the first-year executive decide to start selling some of his veteran players and focus on growing his youth core.
As of February 16th, Sacramento is only one-half game behind the 10th-seeded Memphis Grizzlies and 2.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors.
Coming Up
After playing three games over only four days, Sacramento will enjoy two off days before facing the Miami Heat on Thursday night at Golden 1 Center.
During the Kings’ recent stretch where they won seven of eight games from January 22nd through February 7th, the lone loss came against Miami on January 30th in South Beach.
All-Star forward Jimmy Butler returned following a 10-game absence to score 30 points, including a game-winning basket to give the Heat a 105-104 win.
De’Aaron Fox scored 30 points and dished six assists during the loss to Miami.
Be sure to tune in for all of the action right here on Sports 1140 KHTK, starting with pregame coverage on The Jason Ross & Doug Christie Show at 3:00pm PST leading you in to the 7:00pm PST tip-off.
Upcoming Kings Schedule
- 2/18: vs Miami Heat
- 2/20: @ Chicago Bulls
- 2/21: @ Milwaukee Bucks
- 2/23: @ Brooklyn Nets
- 2/25: @ New York Knicks
