Buzzer Beater: Dedmon has strong night but Embiid’s 33 points sink the Kings
The Kings will come home with a few regrets after losing another one on the road Wednesday night in Philadelphia.
The Kings concluded a four-game road trip with a 97-91 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. They finished the trip with a 1-3 record.
Joel Embiid posted 33 points and 16 rebounds for the 76ers (12-6). Mattisse Thybulle came off the bench to record 15 points, four steals and two blocked shots. Ben Simmons had 10 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
Buddy Hield scored 22 points to lead the Kings (7-10). Bogdan Bogdanovic had 17 points. Dewayne Dedmon had 18 points and six rebounds off the bench, his best game since the Kings signed him to a three-year, $40 million contract over the summer.
“(Dedmon) was great,” Kings coach Luke Walton told reporters in Philadelphia. “I’ll go back and watch the film, but I thought he was leading out there. He was talking defensively, calling out coverages. We’re getting him to the rim, finishing when appropriate, kicking out when appropriate. I thought his all-around game on both ends tonight was really big for us.”
The Kings missed 10 of their first 11 shots and found themselves trailing 11-2 four minutes into the game. The 76ers led by as many as 11 and could have opened up an even bigger lead, but they went 1 of 11 from 3-point range in the opening period.
Sacramento trailed 25-18 at the end of the first quarter. The 76ers eventually reestablished a double-digit lead, but the Kings kept fighting, staging a 12-1 run to tie the game on a three-point play by Bogdanovic. They momentarily took the lead on a 3-pointer by Dedmon and trailed by one at the break despite shooting 39.6 percent from the field and making just 3 of 7 free throws in the first half.
The Kings kept the game close early in the second half. They trailed 58-57 midway through the third quarter, but they were outscored 18-8 over the final 6:44.
Philadelphia went up by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter. The Kings got within five on a basket by Dedmon with 2:41 remaining but they couldn’t get any closer.
The Kings have demonstrated an ability to fight back from a deficit. Walton wants them to show that same fire before they fall behind.
“Our guys have shown that they have that in them, which is great, because at the beginning of the season we didn’t have that ability,” Walton said. “But we have that now, so it’s time to continue to push and get past that, where it’s not just about fighting and not giving in, but it’s about going into arenas and taking games.”
Tale of the tape
The 76ers present one of the most unique challenges in the league with a super-sized lineup that features Simmons, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound point guard, and Embiid, a 7-foot center who weighs 280 pounds. The Kings countered with 6-3 point guard Cory Joseph and 6-10, 235-pound center Richaun Holmes, although Simmons was guarded primarily by Harrison Barnes, Sacramento’s 6-8 small forward.
Embiid went into the game averaging 21 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Simmons was averaging 12.9 points, 8.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals.
Angry Embiid
Holmes knew he would have his hands full with Embiid, who was coming off one of his worst games in Monday’s 101-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Embiid was held scoreless for the first time in his career, going 0-for-11 from the field and 0-for-3 from the free-throw line.
Embiid wasted little time in getting his game going against the Kings. He dunked over Holmes on the opening possession and sank a jumper the next time down the floor.
Upon further review
The Kings got another bit of frustrating news from the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report on Tuesday following their 103-102 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday. The league revealed that Celtics guard Marcus Smart should have been called for traveling when he made the go-ahead basket with 33.1 seconds remaining.
Hield voiced his displeasure over a questionable call in his team’s 99-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 15. The next day, the league announced Harrison Barnes should not have been called for the foul that sent LeBron James to the line for the go-ahead free throws, saying James should have been whistled for an offensive foul instead.
Coming home
The Kings were scheduled to fly back to Sacramento following the game after spending eight days away on a four-game East Coast trip. The Kings will play host to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday and the Chicago Bulls on Monday before going back out on the road to visit the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Marvin Bagley III (thumb), De’Aaron Fox (ankle), Trevor Ariza (groin/personal).
76ers: OUT — Shake Milton (illness), Kyle O’Quinn (calf).
Kings upcoming schedule
Nov. 30 vs. Denver Nuggets, 2 p.m.
Dec. 2 vs. Chicago Bulls, 7 p.m.
Dec. 4 at Portland Trail Blazers, 7 p.m.
Dec. 6 at San Antonio Spurs, 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 8 at Dallas Mavericks, 4 p.m.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 6:20 PM.
