Despite being heavy favorites at home, the Sacramento Kings struggled to put away the Charlotte Hornets—until the fourth quarter.
An inefficient first quarter, where the Sacramento Kings couldn’t get anything to fall, would be a precursor to an overall ugly night, where the Kings would eventually prevail by seven.
On the strength of Bogdan Bogdanovic’s eight points and Willie Cauley-Stein’s all-around performance (six points, six rebounds, two assists, one block, one steal), the Kings were up 35-29 after one, but it wouldn’t last long. After an 8-2 run to open the quarter, the Hornets quickly took control of this game, outscoring the Kings 30-22 in the second and leading 55-51 at the half, despite over 10 first-half turnovers.
The second-half wouldn’t be much prettier than the first, but the Kings would eventually get back in it as De’Aaron Fox willed this team back into striking range, where the Kings would grab a lead and head into the fourth up six.
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Of course, it wouldn’t be a true Sacramento Kings game without some fourth quarter nervousness, even as Sacramento built up a 12-point lead. After going up 92-80, Charlotte’s star guard Kemba Walker went on a personal 6-0 run to bring Charlotte within two possessions—but they wouldn’t get closer than five after Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox would both nail clutch shots to close this one out.
Player of the Game: De’Aaron Fox — 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, one block, 6-15 FG (1-4 3PT, 8-9 FT)
This one could’ve gone to Bogdan Bogdanovic (22/6/2), but the Kings aren’t in this game without De’Aaron Fox. Though his final numbers don’t show it, Fox was one fire in the third quarter, playing stellar defense and scoring enough to keep the Kings afloat while everyone else struggled.
He cooled off in the fourth, but it seems as though his shoulder injury is becoming less of an issue, though the All-Star Break might be a welcome reprieve for him. Still, Fox’s strong third quarter earns him tonight’s ARP Player of the Game award.
Stat of the Night — 1.000
See that? That’s the winning percentage for the Sacramento Kings when both De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield score at least 20 points against a sub-.500 team. It’s only happened six times this season, but when it does it’s nearly an automatic win.
Highlight Stat-Lines
Bogdan Bogdanovic had a solid game as was alluded to early. He shot 9-17 overall, but started out blistering hot and ended with 22 points, six rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes off the bench. Bogi’s struggled with efficiency lately, but tonight was certainly a step in the right direction.
New year, new Willie Cauley-Stein? After struggling much of the season as a rebounder, Willie has completely flipped the script in 2019. Prior to tonight, he was averaging over 10 rebounds per game and added in 12-point, 12-rebound double-double against the Hornets. He also added four assists, two steals and a block and is playing like a man who wants that big contract.
Marvin Bagley III’s return has been a big boon to the Sacramento Kings bench and tonight was no different. In 25 minutes (fifth-most on team) of play, Bagley bagged (sorry) 11 points, nine rebounds, a steal and a block and was a team-high plus-13. It’s good to be back, huh Marvin?
Next Up: Sacramento Kings (22-21) vs. Portland Trailblazers (26-17) on Monday, Jan. 14