De’Aaron Fox Leads The Kings Past Miami, Wins Thriller 123-119
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings, led by De’Aaron Fox, stunned the Miami Heat as they won tonight’s thriller by a score of 123-119.
Game Summary
The first quarter started off rough for the Kings. Points were hard to come by as they were missing their open shots and made zero three-pointers for the period. The only thing going well for the Kings was Zach Randolph as his success in the paint got him six points for the period. Sacramento was able to get a little spark from their bench in the final minutes of the quarter, but they still trailed 31-24 after one.
The Kings’ mini-rally to end the first carried on into the second as their bench continued to move the ball beautifully and execute on offense. As a result, the second unit recorded 26 points in just the first half. Although Miami was able to have success shooting the three, the Kings’ offense controlled the momentum throughout the period which gave the powder blue and white a 59-52 lead going into halftime.
Sacramento started the third playing sloppy basketball, but to their fortune, so did Miami. As time went on, however, both teams played better as they made their shots and took better care of the basketball. An encouraging note from the quarter was how Sacramento responded to Miami’s attempts to rally. Every time the Heat gained momentum, the Kings would take it right back which led to them controlling a 91-79 lead after three.
During the first half of the final quarter, both teams were going back and forth in the scoring which kept the Kings on top. But once the final six minutes were in session, Goran Dragic got hot shooting the ball which cut the Kings’ lead quickly.
Fast forward to the last minute of the game and the Heat were now on top 110-106. It seemed like another Sacramento meltdown was in the making, but the Kings kept fighting. It started with Buddy Hield making a crucial three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining and ended with Fox hitting a game-tying shot at the buzzer to force the game into overtime.
Once overtime started, the Kings kept being active as they controlled the lead for most of the period. With Bogdan Bogdanovic making a clutch three-pointer with under a minute remaining, it inevitably iced the game for the Kings as they won 123-119.
Final Thoughts
Overall, tonight’s game was a dandy to watch. Not only were the Kings able to defeat a playoff-caliber team, but they did so behind the play of their youth.
Although the Kings got caught slipping as they gave up their lead in the fourth quarter, they never threw in the towel as they kept battling until the last seconds ticked off the clock. Not only is Sacramento’s youth talented, but they are tenacious and cold-blooded as well.
Top players for Sacramento tonight were Zach Randolph who recorded 22 points and nine rebounds, Buddy Hield who scored 24 points, and De’Aaron Fox who finished with 20 points and three assists.
Next time the Kings hit the hardwood will be Friday night when they face off against the Golden State Warriors.