Hield nears Stojakovic’s 3-point record; Kings beat Thunder to keep playoff hopes alive
Buddy Hield drew closer to Peja Stojakovic’s 3-point record, Maurice Harkless threw down a birthday dunk and Terence Davis took it from there as the Kings kept their slim playoff hopes alive with another win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Davis came off the bench to score a season-high-tying 27 points, leading the Kings to a 122-106 victory over the Thunder on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center. The Kings came out flat 48 hours after beating the Thunder by 28 points, but they turned up the intensity after being challenged by coach Luke Walton.
“Luke lit a spark in us at halftime,” Davis said. “He gave it to us, no doubt.”
Hield had 21 points and six assists for the Kings (31-38), who have won six of seven to stay within 2½ games of the San Antonio Spurs for the final play-in spot with three games remaining. One win by San Antonio or one loss by Sacramento will eliminate the Kings from playoff contention. The Kings also have to hope the New Orleans Pelicans lose at least one of their three remaining games.
Kenrich Williams scored 20 points and Darius Bazley added 18 for the Thunder (21-49), which have lost eight in a row and 22 of 23.
Maurice Harkless had 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots on his 28th birthday. He drove by Isaiah Roby, Aleksej Pokusevski and Bazley for an emphatic dunk to spark a 15-3 run in the third quarter.
Harkless didn’t like the way the Kings defended in the first half after holding four of their last five opponents to fewer than 100 points.
“I felt like we just were playing it kind of cool,” Harkless said. “Luke called us out in the locker room at halftime and we decided to make it a point in that third quarter to set the tone and kind of be the aggressors.”
Hield nears 3-point record
Hield made 8 of 15 field-goal attempts and 5 of 11 from 3-point range, giving him 1,058 3-pointers over five seasons with the Kings. He needs 13 more over the last three games to break Stojakovic’s franchise record of 1,070.
Walton was surprised to learn Hield is in hot pursuit of Stojakovic’s record, especially given the way Hield has passed the ball recently with De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Harrison Barnes out of the lineup. Hield has dished out 48 assists over the last eight games while taking on increased ball handling and playmaking duties.
“I don’t know if he knows (about the record),” Walton said. “I certainly did not know, and hopefully he’s not finding out right now and just tries to break it … because Buddy is playing great basketball right now. He’s making the right plays. The amount of offense he’s creating for us by being a playmaker out there is so needed right now without Harrison, De’Aaron and Tyrese, and as he’s doing that, which is what we need, he’s really Improving his all-around game as a basketball player.”
Wright stuff
Delon Wright also continued to impress, posting 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting with eight assists, four rebounds and four steals. Wright has averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 steals as a starter over the past five games.
Wright, 28, came to Sacramento in the trade-deadline deal that sent Cory Joseph to the Detroit Pistons. He has one year remaining on his contract for $8.5 million, so he could be a big part of the team next season as well.
Up next
The Kings will head out on their final road trip of the season to face the Memphis Grizzlies in a back-to-back set on Thursday and Friday at FedExForum in Memphis.
The Grizzlies (35-33) have won three of their last four games. They locked up a spot in the play-in tournament with a 115-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, avoiding what could have been a crucial set against the Kings.
Jonas Valanciunas had 25 points and 13 rebounds in a 124-110 victory over the Kings on Feb. 14 in Sacramento. Valanciunas made what Walton called a “dirty play” when he slammed Chimezie Metu to the floor following a fourth-quarter dunk, causing Metu to break his right wrist.
Injury report
Thunder: OUT — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (foot); Luguentz Dort (knee); Ty Jerome (calf); Theo Maledon (foot); Mike Muscala (ankle).
Kings: OUT — Harrison Barnes (adductor); De’Aaron Fox (health and safety protocols); Tyrese Haliburton (knee); Hassan Whiteside (health and safety protocols); Robert Woodard II (back).
Kings upcoming schedule
May 13 at Memphis Grizzlies, 5 p.m.
May 14 at Memphis Grizzlies, 6 p.m.
May 16 vs. Utah Jazz, TBD
This story was originally published May 12, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
