Buzzer Beater: News, notes, analysis from Kings’ 107-99 win over the Trail Blazers
The Kings talked about finding a way to win without De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III prior to Tuesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Somehow they managed to do exactly that, overcoming an early deficit and some unsightly shooting to beat the Blazers 107-99 at Golden 1 Center.
Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to post 25 points and 10 assists for the Kings (4-6), who have won four of their last five games after going 0-5 to start the season. Buddy Hield scored 20 points despite going 2 of 11 from 3-point range. Nemanja Bjelica finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
Damian Lillard scored 27 points for the Trail Blazers (4-7). C.J. McCollum had 24.
The Kings were playing their first game without Fox, who suffered a grade-3 ankle sprain at the end of Monday’s practice. Bagley has been out since opening night with a broken right thumb.
Coach Luke Walton chose to start Cory Joseph at point guard, but the Kings were wildly out of sorts without Fox in the opening minutes. They went 4 of 21 from the field and 1 of 11 from 3-point range to start the game, but the Blazers still couldn’t create much separation.
The Kings trailed 24-21 at the end of the first quarter and 49-46 at the break despite shooting 36.7 percent overall and 21.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Blazers shot 46.2 percent but hit only 4 of 15 from long distance while committing 11 turnovers.
After missing his first seven 3-point attempts of the game, Hield made back-to-back 3s to help the Kings start the second half with a 14-2 run. Sacramento took a 75-63 lead on a pair of free throws by Bogdanovic and went up by as many as 14 while amassing a 14-3 rebounding advantage in the third quarter.
The Kings carried a 71-60 lead into the fourth quarter and went up 93-78 on a 3-pointer by Bogdanovic with 6:57 to play. The Blazers rallied to get within five with 2:50 remaining, but big 3-pointers by Bjelica and Joseph helped the Kings hold on for the win.
Headband Buddy
Hield came out sporting a headband in the first half, but he might have had it on too tight. After going 0 of 7 from 3-point range in the first half, Hield got rid of the headband and promptly drilled his first attempt in the second half, a corner 3 that gave the Kings a 57-51 lead with 9:20 to play in the third quarter.
Home debut for Harry
Kings center Harry Giles III received a huge ovation when he checked into the game for the first time early in the second quarter. Giles missed the first eight games due to a sore left knee before making his season debut Friday in Atlanta.
Giles picked up two fouls in eight seconds during a three-minute stint in the first half. He returned late in the third quarter to hit a jumper that put Sacramento up 81-67. He finished with two points and two rebounds in six minutes.
What about Bagley?
There has been no update on the timeline for the return of Marvin Bagley III, who was expected to miss four to six weeks after breaking his right thumb in the season opener Oct. 23.
Bagley reports that the injury has allowed him to run, stay in shape and perform a variety of basketball-related activities, unlike last year when he missed time due to back and knee injuries.
“I’m still doing my stuff to make sure I’m ready when I get back,” Bagley said. “I’m running, going through 5-on-0, staying locked in with the game plans and our defensive schemes, everything we’ve been doing this whole time. I’m trying to stay mentally ready so when I come back, it’s not all new and it’s nothing different.”
Bench support
Earlier this week, Walton was asked how Fox and Hield handled his decision to sit them out in the fourth quarter of Friday’s 121-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Both played big roles in helping the Kings build a 21-point lead in the first half, but Walton turned to his bench after the Hawks cut the deficit to one in the fourth quarter. Walton said Fox and Hield supported his decision and their teammates’ effort.
“They were awesome, which to me is a great sign for where this team is going, the direction we’re moving, the culture, the chemistry,” Walton said. “When you have starters — and starters who I’ve come out in front of the team and said you guys are a huge part of the future of this team, so we’re riding with you guys — for them not to be in for the fourth quarter of a close game that they had been making plays in, so it wasn’t punishment, but other guys had it rolling and for them to be positive and support them, and up and cheering, sends a really good message to everyone else on the team.”
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Marvin Bagley III (thumb), De’Aaron Fox (ankle).
Trail Blazers: OUT — Zach Collins (shoulder), Pau Gasol (foot), Jusuf Nurkic (leg), Rodney Hood (back).
Sacramento Kings upcoming schedule
Nov. 15 at Los Angeles Lakers
Nov. 17 vs. Boston Celtics
Nov. 19 vs. Phoenix Suns
Nov. 22 at Brooklyn Nets
Nov. 24 at Washington Wizards
This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 9:27 PM.
