Bogdan Bogdanovic scores career high; Kings beat Pelicans for first win in NBA bubble
A record-setting scoring barrage and a career day by Bogdan Bogdanovic helped the Kings earn their first win in the NBA bubble with a 140-125 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at Walt Disney World Resort’s HP Field House.
Bogdanovic scored a career-high 35 points for the Kings (29-39), who were desperate for a win after losing their first three seeding games. Bogdanovic made 13 of 20 from the field and 6 of 9 from 3-point range, bouncing back in a big way after enduring one of the worst shooting nights of his career in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
“Maybe that was driving me a little more and putting the pressure on me,” Bogdanovic said. “I like the pressure. When I have pressure, I think I react well.”
De’Aaron Fox recorded a double-double with 30 points and 10 assists for the Kings, who enjoyed their highest-scoring game of the season. Harrison Barnes added 22 points and six rebounds.
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram scored 24 points apiece for the Pelicans (29-39), who are now tied with the Kings in the race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Williamson made 10 of 12 field-goal attempts, but he grabbed only two rebounds in 22 minutes.
The Kings shot 53.8% from the field and made 16 of 33 from 3-point range. The Pelicans shot 58% overall and 41.2% from long distance, but they committed 17 turnovers and got outrebounded 39-31.
“We know we are fighting with New Orleans and they know that, too,” Bogdanovic said. “So you can’t run from it. You’ve got to step up as a man and play the game.”
Sacramento and New Orleans are now tied for 12th in the West. They are 2 ½ games behind the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 0-4 in the NBA bubble with remaining games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. The are a half-game behind the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns. They were a full game behind the Portland Trail Blazers before the Blazers played the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
“We are still in it,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “You never know. We’ve got four more games and there’s a big group of teams right there, so we’re playing to win these (games) and trying to give ourselves the best chance to get into a playoff and I thought today was a good step forward.”
Fox agreed.
“We control our own fate, but we can’t worry about anybody but ourselves,” Fox said. “Knowing that we got this win, it throws us right back in contention for one of those last playoff spots.
“I think the pressure’s still on. We’re still a little bit behind. Obviously we know if we drop this game, it puts the Pelicans ahead of us and we just drop very far behind, so we knew this was a must win. I think we came in here and we handled business, and every win gives us a little bit more hope.”
The Kings will play the Brooklyn Nets on Friday and the Houston Rockets on Sunday before facing the Pelicans again on Tuesday.
Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday was asked if his team lacked urgency.
“No. I think (the Kings) came out blazing,” Holiday said. “I don’t think it was a lack of effort. I have to go back and watch it at some point and kind of figure it out. They were knocking down shots and making good plays. They were making some tough shots at first. We stayed in it for a little bit, but it just kind of got out of hand.”
Good guard play
Fox and Bogdanovic combined for 65 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds and four steals, shooting 58.6% from the field. They helped facilitate and execute an offensive game plan that emphasized player and ball movement after a film session focusing on long stretches of stagnation against the Mavericks.
“I think it makes it easier for everybody because, the type of players we are, we like seeing others succeed, so, although Bogi I think at one point had 32 or 33, I’m like running out the way to get out of his way because has a big on him and he throws it back to me,” Fox said. “It’s always great to have guys like that. Obviously we know we have a lot of guys on this team who can put the ball in the basket, but when you have guys like that and they care about each other, I think it makes the game easier for others.”
Walton relied heavily on Fox and Bogdanovic. Cory Joseph came off the bench to play 27 minutes, but Kent Bazemore was limited to 19 minutes and Buddy Hield logged a season-low 11 minutes, finishing with three points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Bogdanovic gets hot
Bogdanovic waited until the last minute to make his first shot with 6.3 seconds left in overtime during Tuesday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He finished 1 of 15 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range. He was much better against the Pelicans — right from the start.
This time, Bogdanovic buried two 3-pointers in the opening minute, one from the left wing and another from the right corner. He maintained the hot hand throughout the first quarter, going 7 of 7 from the field and 5 of 5 from 3-point range for 19 points before finally missing a half-court heave at the buzzer.
Bogdanovic said he did not change his routine between games.
“I did the same thing, honestly, I did every day,” Bogdanovic said. “This is one of the nights I was hot and the other night was not.”
Kings set scoring record
The Kings erupted for 49 points in the first quarter, setting a Sacramento-era record for points in a quarter. The previous Sacramento-era record for points in a quarter was 46, which had been done four times, but not since March 20, 2001, against the Houston Rockets.
The Kings led 49-39 at the end of the first quarter.The Kings shot 78.3% from the field and 77.8% from 3-point range in the opening period, making 18 of 23 field-goal attempts and 7 of 9 from beyond the arc.
Transition defense
Both coaches emphasized the importance of transition defense before the game. The Pelicans, propelled by point guard Lonzo Ball, were fifth in the NBA with 16.9 fastbreak points per game going into the contest. They had only two fastbreak points against the Kings.
“Priority No. 1 is transition defense against this team,” Walton said. “Lonzo’s looking to throw it ahead at every opportunity, and him and Zion have a nice chemistry there. They have a big frontcourt they’re going with, so we’ve got to get back, load up and be ready to play some individual defense.”
The Kings, who were limited to four fastbreak points, were 17th in the league with 13.0 fastbreak points per game, but Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry noted that Fox missed 19 games earlier this season.
“They’ve played a lot of games without De’Aaron Fox, so they’re a different team with him on the floor,” Gentry said. “Obviously, he’s a one-man fast break. He does a lot of attacking in transition in the open floor. They have some wing players that can get out and space the floor, with Buddy and guys like that, that can shoot three-pointers, so your transition defense has to be really good.”
Scouting De’Aaron Fox
Gentry was asked how the Pelicans would try to slow the lighting-fast Fox. Gentry said they had to keep Fox out of the paint.
“I think his dribble penetration (is what we need to limit),” Gentry said. “We have to keep him out of the paint. He’s very good at getting the ball to the paint and creating shots for himself. Also, he’s a very good kick-out guy as far as getting to the paint and creating three-point shots for (Nemanja) Bjelica (or) for Buddy Hield. They just have a bunch of guys that can line up and make three-point shots, so we have to be careful about over-helping (on defense), but we have to do a good job as far as keeping him out of the paint.”
Up next
The Kings will face the Nets on Friday on the second night of their only back-to-back set in the bubble. The Nets (32-36) went 2-2 in their first four seeding games with wins over the Washington Wizards and Bucks and losses to the Orlando Magic and Celtics.
Brooklyn’s roster has been decimated by injury and illness. The Nets are missing Kevin Durant (Achilles), Kyrie Irving (shoulder), DeAndre Jordan (COVID-19), Spencer Dinwiddie (COVID-19), Taurean Prince (COVID-19), Michael Beasley (COVID-19), Nic Claxton (shoulder) and Wilson Chandler (opt out).
Kings upcoming schedule
Spurs 129, Kings 120
Magic 132, Kings 116
Mavericks 114, Kings 110 (OT)
Kings 140, Pelicans 125
Aug. 7 vs. Nets, 2 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 9 vs. Rockets, 5 p.m. (NBCS)
Aug. 11 vs. Pelicans, 6 p.m. (NBCS, TNT)
Aug. 13 vs. Lakers, TBD (NBCS)
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 1:01 PM.
