As Bobby Jackson wandered near press row at Arco Arena just before halftime Friday night, the veteran Kings guard was asked about the play of second-year center Spencer Hawes.
"He's a man-child, isn't he?" he asked. "He's tired of y'all writing all that (stuff) about him."
Whatever the motivation, Hawes' breakout performance officially served as the Kings' first highlight of the exhibition season. The 7-footer who struggled in the opening loss at Portland on Tuesday moved his game in from the perimeter. He buried an array of looks from within the paint for 16 first-half points before going long-range to help the Kings preserve a 94-85 win over Oklahoma City.
With just under five minutes left and the Thunder having cut a lead that was once 19 points down to two, Hawes' three-pointer from the right wing extended the Kings' lead to five. Moments later, he hit the floor for a loose ball and won the ensuing jump ball to kick-start a fast break that ended with a Bobby Brown layup and an eight-point lead. With 1:24 left, Hawes scored again to increase the lead to nine and make himself a man of redemption for the night.
It was bad enough that he had to face his former hometown team in their sky blue, orange and yellow jerseys he called "hideous." The Seattle native who was so incensed at the organization's departure from the Emerald City would have played with an edge based on that alone.
But in the wake of two weeks of scrutiny regarding his play and initial decision to not take a team-mandated conditioning test, Hawes admitted the attention had grown old. Asked if he hit the floor with a something-to-prove mentality or if it was a simple case of a bounceback performance, he said, "Maybe a little bit of both."
"I just wanted to put it all in the past," said Hawes, who ended with 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. "Whatever it is, it happened and it's done with, and now it's time to move on."
Whereas eight of Hawes' nine attempts against Portland on Tuesday came from 12 feet and beyond, he hit four shots in the paint before taking an attempt from the perimeter against Oklahoma City.
"I was so amped up for the first game, coming out, having an opportunity to start," he said. "Those quick fouls put me behind, and I think I let it get to me more than I should. Tonight, it was kind of the opposite."
Brown, a rookie point guard, made the most of his chance to start. Brown's three-pointer with 4:20 left put the Kings up 85-79, and he followed his layup off Hawes' jump ball with another three to make it 90-83.
Brown hit 9 of 14 shots, filling in for guard Beno Udrih (strained left hamstring) and playing 31 minutes. He impressed shooting guard Kevin Martin, who laid a towel down for Brown in red-carpet fashion with 35.1 seconds left as he headed to the bench.
Martin – who played 13 minutes after returning from a quadriceps strain – then repeatedly yelled Hawes' name in the locker room afterward.
"Spencer Hawes is why we won the game," he hollered.
By the sound of it, Kings coach Reggie Theus agreed.
"I was happy for him," Theus said. "He came out tonight looking like a guy (who) wasn't happy with the way he'd been playing. … That's what learning is all about."
Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.
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