by Charlie O. Mallonee
Kings head coach Dave Joerger summarized the game on Friday night with one word — discombobulated! With two new players in the rotation and two key players traded to other teams, getting into sync was difficult for the Kings on Friday night.
Sacramento took their first lead of the contest with 1:21 to go in the game. Buddy Hield converted the second of two free throw opportunities to give his team a 97-96 lead. The Kings scored the final six points of the game to make the final score 102-96 to give them their 29th victory of the season.
Both teams had shooting and turnover problems
The Kings struggled early in the with their shooting. In the first period, they shot just 24.0-percent (6/25) overall and hit just 2-of-7 (28.6%) of their 3-point field goals. Sacramento also turned the ball over five times.
The Kings’ shooting percentage improved from there. Although it never was spectacular– 41.1–percent for the game. They cut down on the turnovers, finishing with 14 that resulted in 11 Miami points.
Miami’s poorest shooting streak came in the fourth quarter. The Heat shot just 25-percent (6/24) from the floor and hit just 1-of-9 (11.1%) from downtown. They turned the ball over six times in the final period that became nine Sacramento points.
The Heat shot 43.2-percent for the game and recorded 20 turnovers (22 SAC points). Those turnovers led to their demise.
Dave Joerger was happy to come away with a win
Harrison Barnes who just joined the Kings made his first start on Friday night
Barnes who was traded to the Kings from the Dallas Mavericks started in his first game in a Sacramento uniform. The veteran forward scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out two assists in just over 36 minutes of playing time. Barnes went 2-for-4 from 3-point distance and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
Buddy Hield had an important night on the floor and in the huddles
Buddy Hield posted a game-high 23 points in the Kings winning effort. He hit 8-of-16 shots overall and went 4-for-9 from behind the 3-point arc. Hield converted 3-of-4 opportunities at the free throw line.
Other Kings contributors
- Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points, hauled in five rebounds, made four assists and added two assists.
- De’Aaron Fox added 12 points, four steals, and three assists.
- Harry Giles III was very productive in his 16-plus minutes of playing time. He booked 10 points, three rebounds, and one steal.
- Coach Joerger was quick to point out that Willie Cauley-Stein had a very strong game on defense to go with his seven points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots.
- Newcomer Alec Burks recorded nine points in just over 14-minutes on the floor. He also had four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
More Sacramento Team Stats
- The Kings had a good night at the charity stripe as they hit 19-of-25 (76%) opportunities. Both the number of attempts and conversion percentage showed improvement.
- The Kings were outrebounded 49-46.
- SAC distributed 18 assists and turned the ball over 14 times.
- The team had a total of 11 steals and five blocked shots.
- The Heat outscored the Kings 50-48 in the paint.
- The Kings won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 17-6.
- Sacramento also won with speed scoring 19 Fast Break Points to 8 for Miami.
The best performances by the Heat
- Josh Richardson scored a team-high 21 points to go with four assists and three blocked shots.
- Hassan Whiteside was especially productive scoring in the first half and scored 17 points to with 19 rebounds in the game.
- Dwyane Wade overcame a nasty fall in the first quarter to go on and score 15 points and dish out four assists in his final appearance in Sacramento.
Up next
The Kings (29-26) will have Saturday off – no practice. They will return to action on Sunday afternoon when the Phoenix “Tankers” — I mean Suns — come to Sacramento to wrap up the longest homestand of the season.
The Heat (25-28) have a date with Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
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