Buddy Hield gets H-O-T, DeMar DeRozen gets ejected as Kings beat Spurs 122-102
Buddy Hield got hot, DeMar DeRozan got ejected and the Kings got their second win in 24 hours.
Hield had 31 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the Kings to a 122-102 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night at Golden 1 Center. Hield made 11 of 17 field-goal attempts and lit it up from 3-point range, making 9 of 10 from beyond the arc before leaving the game to a standing ovation.
“When he’s shooting the ball like that, as a coach you just kind of sit back and enjoy it,” Kings coach Luke Walton said.
Hield now has 800 3-point goals in 296 career games, making him the fastest player in NBA history to reach that milestone. He surpassed Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who did it in 305 games.
“Thank God for the opportunity,” said Hield, who will compete in the 3-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend. “Where I came from, you never paint a picture like this ... but God has blessed me tremendously.”
Harrison Barnes had 25 points and seven rebounds for the Kings (21-31), who won on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Miami Heat on Friday. Harry Giles III had eight points and a career-high 12 rebounds. The Kings have now won three in a row and six of their last eight.
Dejounte Murray scored 17 points for the Spurs (22-30), who have lost four in a row. LaMarcus Aldridge had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Sacramento started slowly, scoring only five points over the first five minutes of the game. The Kings trailed 13-7 following a 3-pointer by Murray with 5:31 to play in the opening period, but then they finally got into a better rhythm.
The Kings led 24-23 after Hield made a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds to play in the first quarter. They started the second quarter with a 9-2 run to go up 33-25 and extended their lead to nine on a 3-pointer by Kent Bazemore, who scored 15 points. The Spurs battled back to cut the deficit to three going into the halftime break.
The Kings went cold and fell behind by six midway through the third quarter, but then they got hot, outscoring the Spurs 19-2 over final 4:20. Sacramento led 89-78 to start the fourth quarter.
DeRozan was ejected after receiving two technical fouls with 6:14 to play in the fourth quarter. DeRozan was initially whistled for a shooting foul on Barnes. He received the first technical foul after punching the ball high into the air. He received a second technical after he continued to argue with officials. Barnes converted all four free throws to give the Kings a 107-90 lead.
Rodeo Road Trip
The Kings caught the Spurs in the middle of their annual Rode Road Trip, which takes place every February as the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo takes over the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
This year’s eight-game trip started with losses to the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. After their stop in Sacramento, the Spurs will visit the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz and then the Thunder again, although the last two games will come after the All-Star break.
‘Active hands’
The Kings had a season-high 31 points off turnovers in Friday’s 105-97 victory over the Miami Heat. Sacramento forced 20 turnovers in the game, including seven from Heat guard Goran Dragic and five from center Bam Adebayo.
“Active hands,” Walton said. “We’re doing a better job of getting deflections. … I think we’re getting a little more aggressive on defense, combined with being able to change coverages up a little more because we’re spending more time together. We understand what we’re trying to do. We’re getting better at our base defense, which is allowing us to toy with some other things.”
Injury report
Spurs: None.
Kings: OUT — Richaun Holmes (shoulder); Marvin Bagley III (foot); Jabari Parker (shoulder); Alex Len (hip).
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 8 vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Feb. 12 at Dallas, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 20 vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.
Feb. 22 at Los Angeles Clippers, 12:30 p.m.
Feb. 25 at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published February 8, 2020 at 9:22 PM.
