‘We were connected’: Kings find sense of togetherness in win over Chicago Bulls
Something special happened when the Kings came to Chicago last season. After beating the Bulls by 19 points to conclude a 3-1 road trip, Iman Shumpert and Willie Cauley-Stein had a conversation that sent Kings’ fans into an internet frenzy.
Shumpert, a native of nearby Oak Park, Ill., explained that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen often referred to their legendary Bulls teams as a ballclub.
“That’s what we are,” Shumpert said. “We’re a ballclub — a professional ballclub.”
Cauley-Stein flashed a wide smile, nodded enthusiastically and announced that those Kings were more than just a basketball team.
“We’re a ballclub now,” Cauley-Stein said. “We’re linked. We’re together. ... We’re a club. It’s a brotherhood.”
That brotherhood has been tested in more ways than one as the Kings have struggled this season, but something happened here Friday night at the United Center. The Kings beat the Bulls by 17 points, winning 98-81 to snap a six-game losing streak. They got timely baskets. They defended without fouling.
Sacramento (16-29) held Chicago (17-30) to 25-percent shooting in the fourth quarter, allowing only 12 points in the final frame of a game the Kings so desperately needed to win. When Harry Giles III blocked a shot emphatically at the rim, Kent Bazemore dove to the floor for a loose ball and Buddy Hield buried a series of big shots — again and again — players on the bench sprang up out of their seats to applaud the efforts of their teammates.
They played the game with a sense of joy and togetherness that had been missing for quite some time. One of the most exuberant players was center Dewayne Dedmon, who demanded a trade almost a month ago.
“It felt much better than it’s been,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “It felt good. It felt like a team that’s only concern was winning a basketball game.
“When you make those effort plays, like Baze had that block on the 3-point shot or diving in front of the bench, the block Harry had in the first half, that kind of brings out that type of togetherness and that’s what we’re working towards.”
‘Get the swagger back’
Walton made a big decision in the hours leading up to the game. He chose to start Bogdan Bogdanovic at shooting guard, moving Hield into a backup role three months after he signed a four-year, $86 million contract extension.
Forty-eight hours earlier, following a blowout loss to the Detroit Pistons, Hield sat in front of his locker, staring at the floor, lost in a daze after going 2 of 9 from 3-point range. After receiving word of the lineup change Friday morning, Hield did what he always does, staying on the floor at the United Center to put up extra shots long after the team’s shootaround ended.
When he finally came off the floor, it was clear the team’s struggles were still weighing heavily on his mind.
“We’re not playing with the confidence and the swagger we had last year, so we’re just trying to get the swagger back,” Hield said. “We just need to play together, man.”
They finally did that against the Bulls. They led by eight at the end of the first quarter and by 10 at the half. Zach Lavine led the charge as the Bulls blitzed the Kings with a 13-0 run to take a 59-56 lead in the third, but Hield came to the rescue, making a series of shots to propel an 11-2 run that put Sacramento back on top. He finished with team highs of 21 points and eight rebounds, making 7 of 12 field-goal attempts and 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
‘Buddy put us on his back’
Walton said his decision to bench Hield was “nothing permanent” and “it’s not a punishment to Buddy at all,” but Hield was clearly shaken and confused by the move, feeling like he’s being blamed for the team’s struggles.
“As a competitor, you’ve got to look at it,” Hield said. “You want to figure out what’s the reason for that and you never get a straight-cut, clear answer, but as a player, as a professional, you’ve just got to go out there and lock in, and whatever the coach wants you to do, you just gotta do it.”
Hield is an emotional player who is known to speak his mind. Walton knew he was taking a chance when he decided to bring him off the bench, but Hield responded well.
“When they made that run in the third and we kind of looked like we got shook a little bit, Buddy put us on his back and knocked down some big shots and really kind of got us going again, so I was really pleased with him,” Walton said. “We talk about team a lot and it doesn’t matter who starts, and it really doesn’t, but sometimes when you do that, players can take it and go in the negative direction. Buddy did the exact opposite and we don’t win that game tonight without Buddy.”
‘Love my team’
Something happened here Friday night. The Kings won a game. It was only one game, but it was a start as they head to Minnesota to conclude a five-game road trip against the Timberwolves on Monday.
“We’ve got to continue to build and focus on the next game,” Fox said. “… It’s just one win out of 82 games. We’ve got to try to keep it going for as long as possible.”
When it was over, the Kings adjourned to the visitor’s locker room at the United Center, the same space where Shumpert and Cauley-Stein made their proclamations a year ago. Rookie Kyle Guy walked out to greet family members with a wide smile after Hield procured the game ball for him to commemorate his first points in the NBA, a gesture that elicited a response from Guy on Twitter.
“Love my team,” he wrote, punctuating the sentence with a purple-heart emoji.
Other players remained in the locker room, smiling, laughing, joking and grubbing on Chicago-style pizza from Lou Malnati’s while reporters waited to talk to them.
“De’Aaron, get your shirt on, baby. They need you,” Dedmon said. “You got media duties.”
Fox was reminded of that night in Chicago when Shumpert called the Kings a ballclub and Cauley-Stein branded them as a brotherhood.
“No matter who’s in this locker room, we want to keep that,” Fox said. “When there’s a tight-knit group, you feel like the chemistry carries onto the court and you play better.”
That’s what happened here Friday night.
“Everybody was connected,” Fox said. “Even if somebody did something wrong, another guy had his back. Everybody was flying around and I think we did a pretty good job of that tonight, and that’s something you want to keep going.”
Kings upcoming schedule
Jan. 27 at Minnesota, 5 p.m.
Jan. 29 vs. Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Jan. 30 at Los Angeles Clippers, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 1 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 vs. Minnesota, 5 p.m.
This story was originally published January 25, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
