‘Back to his old self:’ Bjelica’s resurgence helps Kings hold off Grizzlies

They were far from flawless, but the Kings found a way to win with a welcomed contribution from a key player who had been mired in a prolonged shooting slump.

Nemanja Bjelica returned to the lineup and broke free from his funk, posting 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots to help the Kings beat the Memphis Grizzlies 99-96 on Friday night at FedExForum. Weeks had passed since the Serbian sharpshooter got into a groove like this, but he rediscovered his stroke when his team needed it most.

“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Bjelica said. “I scored on first couple shots and then I was in good rhythm. ... I knew that my shooting will come because I put in a lot of work.”

Sacramento (25-24) had lost two in a row and three of its last four on a season-long six-game trip that will end Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Kings shot just 40.7 percent from the field, made 12 of 33 on 3-pointers (36.4 percent) and committed 17 turnovers, but each basket by Bjelica moved them closer to a much-needed victory over the Grizzlies (19-30).

Buddy Hield scored a game-high 26 points, De’Aaron Fox had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists, and rookie big man Marvin Bagley III came off the bench to post 14 points and nine rebounds. Fox and Hield both benefited from a resurgent outing by Bjelica, who averaged just 3.9 points over his previous eight games.

Bjelica came in shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from 3-point range since Jan. 1. He was much better this time, making 6 of 10 from the field and 4 of 4 from 3-point range.

“It was good to see Belly make some shots,” Hield said. “It shows how much of a difference he makes. ... We know we’re not s--- without him – without him being successful – because he helps spread the court for Fox, especially, and me, and he helps make plays for us, too, so it’s great to see him get back to his old self.”

There was a great deal of speculation about Bjelica’s role in the starting lineup after Kings coach Dave Joerger elected to rest Bjelica, Fox and small forward Iman Shumpert in Tuesday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors. Bagley made his first career start in Bjelica’s place and delivered an impressive performance, posting 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Many expected Bagley to take over as the regular starter, but Joerger, who has noted the importance of spreading the floor with a good perimeter shooter at the power forward position, gave Bjelica another chance.

“He needed maybe a little mental break and reset to get out there and shoot the basketball,” Joerger said. “We need him to shoot the basketball and we need him to space the floor.”

Fox agreed.

“When he’s playing well, it always gives us a better chance to win,” he said.

Bjelica may have been motivated by the way the Grizzlies tried to exploit him earlier in the season.

When these teams met in Memphis on Nov. 16, it was quickly apparent Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff had made a premeditated decision to attack Bjelica with rookie big man Jaren Jackson Jr. Jackson taking seven of his team’s first 10 shots — an assortment of mid-range jumpers, driving layups and 3-pointers — and scoring nine points in the first five minutes of the contest.

Joerger made a tactical adjustment when the Grizzlies visited Golden 1 Center on Dec. 21, starting Kosta Koufos instead of Bjelica. That didn’t work either. Jackson made a layup, a 3-pointer, another layup and a couple of dunks, one of which resulted in a three-point play to give him 12 points over the first 6:14.

Jackson didn’t enjoy the same kind of success this time. He was held to 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting. The Grizzlies shot just 42.5 percent from the field and made just 6 of 20 from 3-point range.

The Kings led by 10 midway through the fourth quarter before the Grizzlies staged an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to one. Bjelica came up with a critical steal and Fox buried a big shot, a 19-foot step-back jumper with 11.8 seconds remaining, to help the Kings hold on.

The Kings had a 49-44 rebounding advantage and 11 steals, including five by center Willie Cauley-Stein.

“Crazy win,” Joerger said. “Winning on the road is hard. We didn’t make a lot of shots and we turned it over a little bit too much, but we just gritted it out.”