The Sacramento Kings entered the night with a 1-2 record after facing three of the toughest teams in the Western Conference. Their challenge wasn’t going to be much easier as their opponent was the reigning Western Conference Champions, the Phoenix Suns.
Following a disappointing outing against the Golden State Warriors, the Kings were in need of a morale booster, and they certainly got it against Chris Paul and the Suns.
The game was a back, and forth that went down to the wire. With the score tied and less than two seconds on the clock, De’Aaron Fox was able to inbound the ball to one Harrison “Black Falcon” Barnes.
It was at that moment that Kings’ forward Harrison Barnes called game.
Such excitement, such joy, a moment of pure euphoria, not just because they had won the game but because of what that win represents. The Sacramento Kings are here to play this season, and Harrison Barnes has taken the lead as the team looks to make a playoff push.
It wasn’t just the game-winner either; the team made a great effort to come back after finding themselves behind early.
Down by eight at the half, it was clear adjustments would have to be made to turn things around. The Kings turned to Buddy Hield in the second half, who caught fire for 14 third-quarter points as the Kings outscored the Suns by that same number.
After struggling mightily against the Warriors, Hield bounced back in a big way. He shot a scorching 7/11 from three and is now up to 44.2% from deep on the season while shooting nearly 11 three per game.
The veterans are leading the way for Sacramento, and we haven’t even seen the best from De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton yet. Both had solid improvements in this game versus how they started the season, but the fact is they can go even higher from here.
This looks like a different Kings team this year, and while there’s still plenty of work to be done, this team will be exciting, if nothing else.
The Kings are off for the day but will be back at it tomorrow in New Orleans against the Zion Williamsonless Pelicans. It will be a great opportunity for the team to climb back above .500.