DiVincenzo says he was ‘meant to be’ a King after making overdue debut in win over Wizards
General manager Monte McNair wanted to see Donte DiVincenzo in a Kings uniform over a year ago when he negotiated a sign-and-trade deal that would have sent Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Milwaukee Bucks.
That trade fell apart amid tampering allegations, but McNair finally got his wish Saturday night at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., where DiVincenzo made his long-awaited Kings debut in a 123-110 victory over the Washington Wizards.
“When I got the news I was coming here, I was super happy,” DiVincenzo said. “It was meant to be. That mutual respect and wanting to be here and them wanting me here, it’s a super good feeling and it makes you want to go out and play as hard as you can for not only the team, but also the organization.”
De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Harrison Barnes led another strong showing for Sacramento, but DiVincenzo showed why the Kings valued him for his competitive drive, playmaking ability and disruptiveness on the defensive end.
“I think he’s a very versatile defender,” interim Kings coach Alvin Gentry said. “We can play him on ones, twos, threes. I think he does a good job of getting into the ball. I think he understands rotations and things like that. He’s been here for one day, as far as games, but I can see that particular area of our team getting better simply because we understand each other and know each other and know how to communicate in the same language.”
Fox scored 26 points for the Kings (22-36), who have won three of their last four to get within 1 ½ games of the final play-in spot in the Western Conference with 24 games remaining. Barnes had another highly efficient game with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Sabonis finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Kyle Kuzma had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Wizards (25-30). Corey Kispert added 20 points and six assists.
The Kings shot 56.6% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range while tallying 27 assists on 43 made baskets, remarkable efficiency for a group that is just getting acquainted. The Kings trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, but they outscored the Wizards 33-23 in the third quarter and 31-22 in the fourth.
The Kings played their second game with Sabonis, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb, the three players who came to Sacramento on Tuesday in a blockbuster trade that sent Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers. DiVincenzo suited up for the first time after the Kings acquired him along with Josh Jackson and Trey Lyles in the four-team trade that sent Marvin Bagley III to the Detroit Pistons.
DiVincenzo is a player the Kings have coveted for quite some time. They nearly acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal for Bogdanovic in November 2020, but the trade was voided after the Bucks were found guilty of tampering. DiVincenzo remained in Milwaukee and started 66 games for a team that won the NBA championship last season, but he appeared in only 17 games for Milwaukee this season after recovering from offseason surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left ankle.
DiVincenzo missed his first three shots before making a 3-pointer for his first basket in a Kings uniform. He had five points on 1-of-6 shooting with two rebounds and three assists in 11 first-half minutes. He had two points on 1-of-3 shooting with two assists in eight second-half minutes.
DiVincenzo came in shooting just 28.4% from 3-point range, down from 37.9% last season. Those struggles continued in his first game with the Kings, but he moved the ball well and showed why he has a reputation as a pesky defender.
“Night in and night out, I’m going to compete on the defensive end,” DiVincenzo said. “… Night in and night out, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to scrap and claw and I’m trying to get wins here. That’s my only focus.”
McNair could hardly hide his excitement when asked about DiVincenzo during a news conference in Sacramento on Saturday morning.
“Donte is certainly somebody we’ve targeted for a while and we’re very excited to finally bring him into the organization,” McNair said. “I think we’ve already seen, since he’s come back, he’s progressing well and starting to have some bigger and bigger games. This is a guy who was starting in the playoffs last year for the eventual champions, so we know what he can do on the floor. We’re excited to see him come here and do it in a Kings uniform finally.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 8:02 PM.
