The Streak Continues: Kings Win Fourth Straight As Play-In Race Intensifies
May 5, 2021, 7:27 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Marvin Bagley III’s 30-point double-double paces Sacramento to their fifth win over their last six contests
Over his three seasons in the NBA, Marvin Bagley III has received more than his fair share of criticism.
Since returning from injury on April 30th, the young forward has been playing like he has an even larger chip on his shoulder.
Bagley put on an offensive display on Wednesday night, scoring a season-high 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 104-93 win over the Indiana Pacers–the team’s fourth-straight win and fifth over their last six games.
It’s the first time since 2002-03 that Sacramento has won four games in-a-row on the road.
With the win, the Kings (29-37) have pulled themselves to within 2.5 games of the 10th-seeded San Antonio Spurs with six games remaining in the regular season.
San Antonio will travel to Golden 1 Center for a matchup with the Kings on Friday night in what will undoubtedly be the most important game of the season, as Sacramento can pull to with 1.5 games of the Spurs with a win.
Marvin Bagley III would set the pace early for Sacramento, scoring 14 points on seven-of-10 shooting from the field while also pulling down four rebounds to help lead the Kings to a 30-26 advantage through one quarter of play.
The solid play from the former Duke Blue Devil would carry over into the second quarter, as Bagley would go on to finish the half with 22 points on a career-high-tying 12 made field goals. Delon Wright’s back-to-back triples in the closing moments of the half put Sacramento in front 56-47 at the break.
Most of the damage done by the Kings in the first half was done in the paint, where they scored 44 of their 56 points.
The Kings wouldn’t waste much time in the second half, as they would begin the third quarter on a 20-9 run to take a 76-56 lead with 3:39 remaining in the period.
Thanks to strong play from a shallow Sacramento bench, the Pacers would be unable to close the gap as the Kings would take an 85-68 lead into the fourth quarter.
That 17-point advantage would grow to 24 points in the fourth–the Kings’ largest lead on the road this season–as Sacramento would not relinquish their double-digit lead en route to yet another road win.
It doesn’t make sense, but somehow, someway, the Sacramento Kings have scratched and clawed their way back into the Western Conference Play-In race. With six games left in the season and a massive matchup with San Antonio on Friday night looming, expect this revitalized team to take the challenge head-on.
Plus, reinforcements could be on the way: Harrison Barnes and Chimezie Metu could both be in uniform for Friday’s action.
Rounding out the box score
Marvin Bagley III notched his 11th double-double of the season, pulling down 12 rebounds to go along with his 31-point outburst.
Delon Wright looks pretty comfortable in the starting point guard role.
One game removed from a near-triple-double performance, the 29-year-old would do it against on Wednesday night, scoring 23 points on eight-of-14 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and an astounding six steals (career-high).
Speaking of triple-doubles, Buddy Hield also flirted with notching the first of his career, scoring 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists.
Richaun Holmes added 12 points, two steals and a block to round out the key contributors for the Kings offense.
Injury Updates
- Harrison Barnes (adductor) and Chimezie Metu (back) both sat out against Indiana. Head coach Luke Walton said that both players have been in the gym to put in work and are both eager to return to action.
- De’Aaron Fox (health & safety protocols) was inactive on Wednesday night for the seventh-consecutive game. Walton did not have an update on when Fox could return to action.
- Rookie forward Robert Woodard II missed another game due to back soreness.
Coming Up
Sacramento will return to Golden 1 Center on Friday afternoon for a matchup with the 10th-seeded San Antonio Spurs.
The teams split a back-to-back set that took place in March, with San Antonio winning the most recent matchup on March 31st–a 120-106 blowout win over the Kings that would act as the first loss of an eventual nine-game losing streak.
Be sure to get all of your Kings vs Spurs coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK, with pregame coverage beginning at 3:00pm PST on The Jason Ross & Doug Christie Show prior to a 7:00pm PST tip-off from Golden 1 Center.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
- May 7 vs San Antonio Spurs
- May 9 vs Oklahoma City Thunder
- May 11 vs Oklahoma City Thunder
- May 13 @ Memphis Grizzlies
- May 14 @ Memphis Grizzlies
