‘I can’t overrule the coach:’ Joerger says little, Hield says a lot after Kings’ loss
Kings guard Buddy Hield offered thoughtful responses to a series of uncomfortable questions following a 112-105 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night at Target Center, but coach Dave Joerger didn’t have much to say at all.
Joerger started rookie forward Marvin Bagley III for the second time this season, benched Hield for the final 5:42 and played 12 men in an effort to salvage a critical game in the Western Conference playoff race. Joerger fielded several questions after the game, but his answers — which amounted to 22 syllables in response to the first five queries — didn’t exactly open a window into his thought process.
Why did Bagley start?
“That was for matchups,” Joerger said.
Will he continue to start?
“We’ll have to see.”
How did he do in that role?
“I thought he was good.”
Why didn’t Hield play in crunch time?
“I thought he had a tough night.”
Can you elaborate on that?
“No.”
When it was over, two things were clear: The Timberwolves (29-31) received a monster performance from Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted 34 points and 21 rebounds, and the Kings (31-29) missed an opportunity to gain valuable ground in the playoff race.
The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks to move ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for seventh in the Western Conference. The Spurs, who lost to the Brooklyn Nets, lead the Kings by one game for the eighth spot. Sacramento will play host to the Milwaukee Bucks (46-14) on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.
Bagley led Sacramento with 25 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes against Minnesota. Point guard De’Aaron Fox had 23 points despite making just 8 of 24 field-goal attempts.
Hield had 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range with eight rebounds and three steals, but he also committed a team-high five turnovers. Corey Brewer provided a spark off the bench, scoring 12 points in 16 minutes.
Hield said it was difficult to sit on the sideline when his team got within four with 3:05 to play.
“I’m a competitor. I always want to be on the court,” Hield said. “That’s what I do, man. We all make mistakes out there. We aren’t perfect. ... Everybody knows what I can do and everybody knows what I bring to the table.
“Yeah, it’s hard. I’m not going to lie to you. It’s hard to watch. As a player, you want to be out there, but you’ve still got to respect the guys out there, too. ... When I’m doing my thing, they’re out there cheering me on. And when they’re out there, I’m always cheering for them, too.”
Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein was held to four points and one rebound while committing five fouls in 12 minutes. Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic had seven points, six rebounds and six assists but made just 3 of 13 field-goal attempts. Forward Harrison Barnes had five rebounds, four assists and four steals, but he missed all four of his shots and scored only two points.
Pressed for an explanation as to why he benched Hield, who he demonstratively criticized in Thursday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors, Joerger finally pointed to the turnovers.
“He couldn’t hold onto the basketball and he struggled in different areas, and sometimes you have those nights,” Joerger said. “Corey Brewer was playing with some energy and it’s just one of those things, and (Hield) cheered his tail off over there. Willie had a tough night, (but) he cheered his tail off over there. We stay together. We do it together.”
Hield seemed to agree with that point.
“We all want to win,” Hield said. “We’re all there for the same reason, to win basketball games. If Dave doesn’t think I should have been out there, that’s his decision. I can’t overrule the coach’s decision, but I’ve gotta respect the guys who are out there because they’re my teammates and I love them. When I’m doing my thing, they have my back, so I’ve got to have their back, too.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 2:44 AM.
