Three-And-Fun: Kings Regroup In Fourth To Hold Off Nuggets
Dec 29, 2020, 9:54 PM | Updated: 10:30 pm
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
After blowing a double-digit lead in the third, Sacramento turned it on in the final period to claim the victory
A lot can change over the span of one quarter.
The Sacramento Kings took over in the fourth period on Tuesday night, with De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Richaun Holmes coming together in the final minutes to defeat the Denver Nuggets by a final of 125-115 at Golden 1 Center.
With the win, Sacramento improved to 3-1 for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
The Kings came out firing to open things up on Tuesday, scoring 74 points in the first half and taking a 12-point advantage into the break.
All-Star center Nikola Jokic and Denver would respond, outscoring Sacramento 38-22 in the third-period to take the lead as play entered the final frame.
De’Aaron Fox took over in the fourth quarter, helping keep the Kings erase an early deficit on his way to a 24-point, nine-assist performance on eight-of-15 from the field.
The franchise guard was locked in during the second-half, scoring 16 points over the final 24 minutes of action.
“I just got more aggressive. I think it gave the team a boost and going into the fourth quarter,” Fox said after the game of his strong finish. “Everybody was locked in. We got everything we wanted.”
Fox and Haliburton ran the show for most of the final quarter, with both guards playing well off of each-other to help pace a 19-3 run to take control of the contest.
“That’s why they brought me here, to play alongside De’Aaron,” Haliburton said after the game. “I’m trying to win now. We’re all trying to win now.”
Leading 117-108 with 3:04 remaining, Haliburton drained a 29-foot three-point attempt to put the game out of reach, giving Sacramento its second win over Denver in six days.
Haliburton once again dazzled with his playmaking, providing a boost off of the Kings bench with 13 points (three-of-four from three-point range) and six assists to go along with three steals over 25 minutes.
The rookie’s confidence and poise on the court continued to impress, as the 20-year-old showed flashes of Jason Williams on a few occasions during Tuesday night’s contest:
Marvin Bagley III was a force in the first-half, scoring 18 points to pace Sacramento to a 74-62 advantage heading into the break.
Bagley would struggle to get going in the second half, failing to score again in the contest. Head coach Luke Walton opted to let Nemanja Bjelica and Richaun Holmes finish things out down the stretch down low, ending Bagley’s night with 18 points on six-of-12 shooting over only 23 minutes.
“Marvin was huge in the first-half,” Walton said after the game. “That group in the third–it wasn’t (Marvin) individually, it was the group–wasn’t getting it done…I had originally planned on going back to Marvin, but the group out there was playing at a high level.”
A new career-high for assists was established for Harrison Barnes on Tuesday night, who dished eight assists in the win. Barnes was all over the place for Sacramento, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds as well in the win.
Richaun Holmes had a strong night from the field, knocking down 10 of his 13 field goal attempts, finishing with 20 points–his strongest showing of the young season.
Buddy Hield and Nemanja Bjelica each contributed with 12 points each in the win. Hield was quiet on Tuesday night, only taking 10 field-goal attempts, knocking down three of his seven three-point tries.
For Denver, Jokic put up another unreal triple-double (26 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists) but also turned the ball over 10 times. Michael Porter Jr. scored a game-high 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who fell to 1-3 with the loss.
With four games in the books, the Kings hold a 3-1 record, a start that Luke Walton, GM Monte McNair and the entire roster should feel comfortable hanging their hats on.
The three wins have not been “gimme” wins, either.
Beating Denver not once but twice, both on the road and home is beyond impressive. Defeating a revamped Suns team and playing three good quarters in a loss on Sunday are positives as well.
So far, it’s tough to not be excited about this team.
These Kings are here to play.
Coming Up
With the three-game home-stand in the books, Sacramento will hit the road starting with Thursday night’s game in Houston against James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets have been shorthanded to begin the season, but will get reinforcements on Thursday with the returns of John Wall and former Kings center DeMarcus Cousins expected to take place for the contest.
Be sure to tune in to Sports 1140 KHTK for pregame coverage at 3:30pm PST, followed by tip-off at 4:00pm PST.
