Shootout: Fans return to Golden 1 Center to see Timberwolves outgun defenseless Kings
Maurice Harkless said it was hard to tell the real fans from the cardboard cutouts when the Kings opened their doors to a limited number of spectators for Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The fans could have said the same about the way the Kings played defense.
Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points apiece, leading the Timberwolves to a 134-120 victory over the Kings at Golden 1 Center. Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 18 rebounds for the Timberwolves (16-43), who defeated Sacramento for the second time in 16 days. They can sweep the season series when they conclude a back-to-back set against the Kings on Wednesday.
“There it was again,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “We did a lot of really good things offensively, but really only put together one quarter of defense and a big part of that was really the second unit late into the third quarter when we came back and got a lead. It’s hurt us all year. You can’t just try to outscore people.”
Harkless and Harrison Barnes each had 20 points to lead seven players in double figures for the Kings (23-35), who have fallen six games out of the final play-in spot in the Western Conference with just 14 games remaining. Chimezie Metu came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points. De’Aaron Fox and Delon Wright both had 14.
Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton had nine assists with just one turnover, but he was held to seven points on 2-of-10 shooting. Buddy Hield had 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting.
The Timberwolves shot 56.7% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range while amassing a 50-38 rebounding advantage and a 60-46 advantage in points in the paint. The Timberwolves trailed 115-114 with 6:05 remaining, but they finished with a 20-5 run to close out a game that featured 13 ties and 21 lead changes. Minnesota shot 61.9% in the fourth quarter. The Kings shot 31.8%, making just 7 of 22 from the field.
“We have to find some consistency on the defensive end because we can’t just think we’re going to have a shootout every night and win,” Harkless said.
The Kings played in front of their fans for the first time since March 2020, when the NBA suspended its season in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. The first to attend were 1,600 preselected frontline workers who were scattered throughout the lower bowl, many accompanied by children.
“It’s a limited number, but just having some of that energy in the building, even pregame it felt different,” Harkless said. “We’re excited to have some fans in there. It was kind of hard to tell between the cardboards and the real fans when you look out in the crowd, but it was definitely good to have fan energy back.”
Haliburton addressed the crowd before the game with a special message to the team’s honored guests.
“What’s up y’all? It’s great to have you guys,” Haliburton said. “To the frontline workers, we appreciate what you guys do on an everyday basis helping us get through this crazy time. Got a lot of love for y’all. Appreciate y’all coming and go Kings!”
Those in attendance got to see some highlight reel dunks and plenty of firepower from both sides with a total of 36 3-pointers made, but they didn’t see much in the way of defense.
The Kings outscored the Timberwolves 43-39 in a fast-paced first period. The Kings shot a blistering 61.5% from the field and knocked down 7 of 11 from 3-point range. The frenzy continued in the second quarter with several Kings scoring to match the onslaught from Russell, who finished the first half with 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting in just 15 minutes of work.
The game was tied 74-74 at the halftime break. The Timberwolves went up 90-86 on a dunk by Edwards midway through the third quarter, but the Kings led 103-99 going into the fourth. The game remained close until the Timberwolves staged a 14-0 run to go up 128-115 with 2:31 remaining.
It was another disappointing setback for a team that had just defeated the playoff-bound Dallas Mavericks to end a nine-game losing streak.
“When we play consistent basketball, we have a chance to win,” Barnes said. “When we don’t, it’s going to look like tonight.”
Up next
The Kings and Timberwolves will complete a back-to-back set when they meet again Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center. Sacramento is 3-9 on the second night of a back-to-back this season. Minnesota is 3-10.
The Kings will then get three days off before visiting the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. Warriors star Stephen Curry has been the hottest player in the NBA over the past three weeks, averaging 40.8 points per game in April. Curry had 53 in a win over the Denver Nuggets on April 12 and 49 in Monday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Injury report
Timberwolves: OUT — Malik Beasley (hamstring); Jaylen Nowell (tibia).
Kings: OUT — Marvin Bagley III (hand); Richaun Holmes (hamstring); Robert Woodard II (back).
Kings upcoming schedule
April 21 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m.
April 25 at Golden State Warriors, 7 p.m.
April 26 vs. Dallas Mavericks, 7 p.m.
April 28 vs. Utah Jazz, 7 p.m.
April 30 at Los Angeles Lakers, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 4:30 AM.
