Kings Top Suns on Buddy Hield’s Record Breaking Night

It wasn’t pretty, but the Sacramento Kings got the win over the Phoenix Suns Saturday night, getting back to .500 on the year with 36 wins and losses. The Kings relied heavily on the long-ball, clawing their way out of a hole early, where they trailed by 14 in the first half. Thanks to 17 threes, Sacramento defeated Phoenix 112-103, ending their four game home stand with three wins.

“Nice way to finish up a nice home stand,” said Kings head coach Dave Joerger, “By and large, a lot of good quarters over bad ones. It’s an outstanding feeling for our guys to be back at .500”.

Buddy Hield was the star of the night, finishing with 25 points. He needed three three-pointers to break Kings legend and assistant general manager Peja Stojakovic’s franchise record for threes in a single season, which he did by the second quarter. Finishing the night with seven long-balls, Hield now holds the record at 245.

The new franchise leader for threes made in a season:

Buddy Hield 👌 pic.twitter.com/gEIWEKIYKI

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 24, 2019

“Getting the record from Peja, him leaving his mark on this franchise, it’s big…” said Hield following the game.

“That was definitely cool, to see what he was able to do for the team this year and break a record like that,” added Marvin Bagley.

“The best part now, every time we come to the gym, Buddy is going to give it to Peja,” joked Joerger.

Hield was asked if Joerger’s statement was accurate, “Oh yeah. Facts. (Peja) always out there talking s***”.

It’s nothing but love though between Peja and Buddy, who share a special and productive bond. Hield was given the game ball, and had Peja sign it following the game.

Peja signed Buddy's game ball ♥ pic.twitter.com/EKgWIekvX4

— Kimani Okearah (@theKimansta) March 24, 2019

Hield received a massive ovation from the Kings fans inside the Golden 1 Center immediately after he broke the record.

Standing ovation for @buddyhield! pic.twitter.com/vqeUPSsRnl

— Jason Wise (@Jason_Wise) March 24, 2019

“It’s special. I love the fans. They are great. Sacramento, they recognized it before I recognized it. It’s for the fans man. They love it and deserve it,” said Hield.

“The atmosphere (is great) of course. I can’t believe there is only three home games left,” added Joerger.

Harrison Barnes continues to make Kings general manager Vlade Divac look like a genius, scoring 25 points while shooting 62% from beyond the arc. Marvin Bagley (16 points, 11 rebounds), and Nemanja Bjelica (13 points, 17 rebounds) both added another double-double to their season tally.

The Kings face the Lakers in Los Angeles Sunday evening, the first of five games on the road. They return to the Golden 1 Center for their final meeting with the Houston Rockets on April 2nd.

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