Highs and Lows: Sacramento Kings’ Bench Anchors Win In Twin Cities
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings got themselves a victory yesterday as they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 123-117.
Listed down below are the highs and lows of last night’s game that pertain to the purple and black.
HIGHS
Willie Cauley-Stein: Willie Cauley-Stein continues to be the big man that the Sacramento Kings envisioned him to be. In yesterday’s game, Trill was able to record 15 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 5-9 from the floor. Since the beginning of March, Trill has showcased his all-around game as he has developed into a solid scorer and rebounder while still playing efficient defense on the other end of the court.
Perimeter Shooting: The Sacramento Kings were very successful shooting beyond the arc in yesterday’s contest as they made 57.9% of their three-pointers. Although the Kings as a collective whole had a successful night shooting the long-ball, all of the credit has to go to Buddy Hield, Arron Afflalo, and Langston Galloway who combined to shoot 11-15 from the three-point line.
Bench Play: The bench really helped spark the Kings in last night’s game as they totaled 66 points, 17 rebounds, 16 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks. Anchored by Ty Lawson, who recorded 21 points and 11 assists, the reserves for Sacramento played a significant part in the team’s success last night in the Twin Cities.
LOWS
Poor Start: Although Sacramento rallied back to win yesterday’s contest, they started the game very sluggish. In the first period of the game, the Timberwolves outscored the Kings by a score of 31-18, which caused Sacramento to play catch up in the early-middle stages of the game.
Ball Security: In last night’s contest, the Kings turned the ball over 17 times, which caused the offense for Sacramento to stagnant at times throughout the contest. Ball security continues to be a pet peeve for this season’s Kings squad. For the campaign, the Kings are currently ranked 21st in the NBA in turnovers per game (14.1).
Twin Cities’ Duo: The two-headed monster of Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins were big time for the Timberwolves last night. For the game, the dynamic duo combined for 58 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists as they dissected the Sacramento defense throughout the evening.