Raining Triples: Kings Rout Charlotte Behind Franchise-Record 22 Three-Pointers
Nov 5, 2021, 9:34 PM | Updated: 9:56 pm
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Buddy Hield & the Sacramento offense had a historic night from beyond the arc on Friday
As the old saying goes, “when it rains it pours.” It was certainly pouring at Golden 1 Center on Friday night.
The Sacramento Kings tied a franchise-record for made three-point field goals, drilling 22 long-balls during a 140-110 blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets.
It was quite an offensive showcase by a Kings (5-4) team that pulled themselves above the .500 mark with their fifth win of the season.
Things got off to preferable start on Friday night, to say the least.
Sacramento opened the game on a 29-15 run thanks to red-hot shooting from field and three-point land. The Kings finished the first quarter 14-of-23 from the field and nine-of-15 from beyond the arc to end the first quarter with a 41-22 lead–the team’s highest-scoring quarter of the season thus far.
Th nine-made three-point field goals in the first quarter was the most that the Kings have made in a quarter since the 2002-2003 season.
During Wednesday night’s win over New Orleans, Kings fans rejoiced when De’Aaron Fox knocked down the team’s 10th triple of the night midway through the fourth quarter, as 10 made triples warrants each fan a coupon for a free taco from Taco Bell.
On Friday, Golden 1 Center erupted in “FREE TACOS” chants after the team drilled its 10th three-pointer of the night with over 11 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Sacramento finished the half 14 made three-pointers. For reference, they have only converted more than 14 three-point field goals once this season (October 22 vs Utah).
The ball-movement was notable in the first half as De’Aaron Fox (five assists) and the Kings dished out 16 assists as a team over the first two quarters. Sacramento checked all of the boxes in the first half, delivering 24 minutes of solid basketball to take a 74-53 lead into the halftime break.
Gordon Hayward (14 points in the third) and the Hornets made things interesting in the third quarter, cutting the Kings lead to just 14 points before Sacramento regained some control to head into the fourth with a 107-89 advantage.
The Hornets reduced the Kings lead to 108-96, the closest they had been since the opening minutes of regulation, but Davion Mitchell and Buddy Hield drilled back-to-back triples to create an 18-point gap between the teams with 7:39 remaining.
Sacramento pressed its foot on the gas and finished off Charlotte for their fifth win of the season in what was arguably the team’s strongest showing of the young season. Not only did the Kings dominate the Hornets by 30 points, the dominated them in all aspects of the game:
- Out-rebounded the Hornets 56-28
- Shot 55-percent from the field and 50-percent from the three-point line
- Had seven players finish the game in double-figures
This is the type of game you look back on years from now and smile about. Hitting 50-percent of 44 three-point attempts and scoring 140 points? Scoring at least 32 points in each quarter? A 20-20 performance from your center?
Yeah. It was a fun night at Golden 1 Center. One for the history books.
Rounding Out The Box Score
After being ejected during Wednesday night’s game, Richaun Holmes made his presence known early on Friday.
Holmes posted a double-double in the first half–his sixth of the season–and finished with his first 20-20 game of his career: 23 points on nine-of-12 shooting from the field and a career-high 23 rebounds over 33 minutes.
De’Aaron Fox followed up his strong showing against New Orleans with 21 points and nine assists in the win over Charlotte. The star guard has looked much more in rhythm over the past two games from the field and the foul line (went seven-for-seven from the line on Friday).
Buddy Hield did his part from beyond the arc in the win, finishing with 26 points on eight-of-17 from three-point land. The sharpshooter also finished with a season-high four assists in the win. When he’s feeling it, he’s really feeling it.
Hield has a constant green light and has proven that he will not shy away from an open look, something that greatly benefited the Kings in the win.
Davion Mitchell’s offense is becoming more of a storyline as the rookie followed up back-to-back double-digit scoring outputs with 19 points on four-of-five shooting from beyond the three-point line. Mitchell also grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists in the win.
Tyrese Haliburton added 14 points and five assists in the win, while Moe Harkless contributed with 10 points over 21 minutes.
Coming Up
Turn back those clocks an hour and get ready for a matinee showing between the Kings and Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon.
Sacramento swept the two-game season series from Indiana in 2020-21, with the most recent win being a 104-93 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Marvin Bagley III had arguably his best game as a professional, scoring a 31 points to go along with 12 rebounds in the victory.
The Kings have won three of their last five contests against Indiana dating back to the 2018-19 season.
You can find all of your Kings vs Pacers coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK starting with Game Night at 1:30pm PST followed by an early 3:00pm PST tip-off from Golden 1 Center.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule
- November 7th vs Indiana Pacers
- November 8th vs Phoenix Suns
- November 10th @ San Antonio Spurs
- November 12th @ Oklahoma City Thunder
- November 15th @ Detroit Pistons
