The Sacramento Kings were able to earn the win against the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 121-110. This article will showcase who I thought the top three players were for the purple and white tonight.
The Sacramento Kings were able to get back to their winning ways as they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 121-110. With this win, the Kings now have a record of 7-5 while the Wolves go down to 4-9.
Game Recap
Tonight’s game did not start well for the Kings as the T-Wolves immediately went on a 9-1 run and continued to extend their lead as the quarter went on. But once Willie Cauley-Stein and Yogi Ferrell got hot, the Kings were able to come back as they only trailed 31-29 once the first ended.
The second quarter was an exciting one to watch. When the Wolves had their best players on the court, they outplayed the Kings. But with that said, the Kings stayed in the game due to their grit and ability to push the pace. As a result, the purple and white found themselves ahead by a score of 63-60 going into halftime.
When the second half started, it was the Kings’ turn to start off hot. Behind the play of De’Aaron Fox, the purple an white were able to extend their lead to 11 points. And due to the sudden surge of Nemanja Bjelica, the Kings kept their lead going into the fourth.
The Kings continued their offensive dominance in the final quarter as they kept extending their lead. But all of a sudden, the Timberwolves woke up. The Kings saw their 14-point lead decrease to two points as the Wolves went on a 12-0 run. But remember, this is a different Kings team.
With the momentum almost gone for Sacramento during crunch time, they dug deep and suddenly went on a 7-0 run which inevitable sealed the win for the home team.
De’Aaron Fox
Another night, another solid game for De’Aaron Fox. To no surprise, Fox was able to push the pace for the Kings which helped their offense immensely. As the game went on, the Timberwolves could not keep up with the speed of Fox and the Kings’ offense which led to Sacramento scoring a whopping 121 points for the game.
Individually, Fox had a nice game as he finished with 16 points,10 assists, and zero turnovers.
Willie Cauley-Stein
I mentioned in my game preview that the winner of the battle between Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein might be the deciding factor to tonight’s winner. Although Cauley-Stein lost the individual battle to Towns, Willie still had himself a good game.
During tonight’s contest, Willie was a huge asset for the Kings on the offensive end as he was able to get buckets when his team needed points on the board. Not only that, but his aggressive approach was able to force fouls on the Timberwolves defense which allowed the Kings to get to the free-throw line often.
For the night, Willie scored 25 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Iman Shumpert
The Kings got major help from their veteran players tonight, but the guy that stood out the most was Iman Shumpert. Throughout the night, Shumpert was making plays on both ends of the court whether it was making perimeter shots or key defensive stops. Without his presence, I do not think the Kings will be leaving the Golden 1 Center tonight with the victory.
Final stat line for Shumpert was 17 points, two assists, and two rebounds.
Final Thoughts on the Game/What Now?
This game was not a must win for the Sacramento Kings, but a contest that they needed to win in order to get back on track. The team was currently going through a two-game losing streak and their schedule was not getting easier going forward.
So seeing the Kings defeat a team like the Timberwolves is an encouraging sight to see. Even though Minnesota has struggled this year, they still are a tough opponent that contain All-Star caliber players.
Hopefully, the Kings can build on this win and play competitive basketball against their next opponents. There will be little time to rest, however, as they will face off against the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow night.
The Lakers are another team that has not lived up to expectations, but they do carry a lot of young talent that is led by superstar LeBron James. Playing against a team that contains one of the best players of all time will never be an easy feat.
So, Kings fans. What are your thoughts about your team’s performance tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves? Who do you all think were the top contributors for the purple and white tonight? If you want to give us your opinions on the issue, feel free to comment on our website, Facebook page, or Twitter account.