The Show (Or Losing Streak) Goes On: Kings Lose Eighth Straight
Apr 14, 2021, 9:41 PM | Updated: 9:41 pm
(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Wizards duo Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook proved too much for Sacramento’s defense to handle on Wednesday night
The Sacramento Kings have looked dead in the water since March 29th’s win over San Antonio.
After defeating the Spurs to extend their winning-streak to five games, the team has lost eight-straight since, the latest being a 123-11 loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.
With the loss, the Kings (22-33) are just one loss away from matching their season-long nine-game losing streak that they experienced from February 9th through February 26th.
Washington would get off to a very fast start, scoring 42 points in the first quarter (24 in the paint) to take an 11-point lead into the second quarter.
The Wizards would eventually push their lead to 62-44 before the Kings would answer with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit in half. De’Aaron Fox (17 first-half points) and Buddy Hield (16 first-half points) provided the Sacramento offense with life down the stretch until the half, keeping the score within 10 points at the break.
Fox would go on a 6-0 run by himself to cut the deficit to 82-76 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Washington respond, extinguishing the run to take a 93-83 lead into the fourth.
Thanks to strong efforts from Bradley Beal (31 points) and Russell Westbrook (25 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists), the Wizards would go on to hand Sacramento their eighth loss in-a-row.
As the season winds down, the Kings are all but removed from the play-in scenario, now sitting five games back of the 9th and 10th seed positions with 17 games left to play.
Rounding out the box score
De’Aaron Fox played like a star once again, scoring a game-high 33 points on 13-of-28 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds, six assists and six steals (tied his career-high).
It was the 16th time this season that Fox has eclipsed the 30-point mark.
Buddy Hield, who was questionable coming into Wednesday due to an illness, looked like he was feeling better after taking Monday’s game off.
Luke Walton stated pregame that Hield had been on an IV to get himself hydrated prior to facing Washington, as the 28-year-old looked like he had his legs fully underneath him during a 19-point performance.
Hield finished six-of-13 from the field, including four-of-nine from three-point range over 36 minutes of playing time.
Per a release from the Sacramento Kings communications team, Hield eclipsed the 1,000 made three-point field goal mark in his fifth season in a Kings uniform (1,089 career total).
Harrison Barnes scored 18 points on six-of-12 shooting over a game-high 40 minutes of action in the loss.
Hassan Whiteside added 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds while blocking four shots over 23 minutes off of the Kings bench.
Rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton established a new career-high in steals, swiping six steals on Wednesday to go along with eight points and six assists.
Terence Davis contributed with 12 points to round out the Kings main scorers.
Get Well Soon
Results from an MRI conducted on Wednesday confirmed that Richaun Holmes sustained a right hamstring strain during Monday’s loss against New Orleans.
The team disclosed that the center will not travel with the team on its two-game road trip this weekend in Phoenix and Dallas. Once the team returns, Holmes’ status will be re-evaluated.
Marvin Bagley III will rejoin the team on Thursday night when the team arrives in Phoenix.
Bagley has been out since March 16th due to a fractured fourth metacarpal in his left hand. The third-year big is expected to return to the floor sometime over the final 17 games of the season.
Coming Up
It will be a quick turnaround for the Kings as they will face the surging Phoenix Suns on Thursday night in Arizona.
Back in December during an early season back-to-back, the teams split the two-game set, with Phoenix claiming the most recent contest on December 27th.
Mikal Bridges led all scorers with 22 points during a 116-100 win, while Buddy Hield’s 17 points would lead Sacramento scorers on a sluggish night for the offense.
Be sure to tune in right here on Sports 1140 KHTK for all of your Kings vs Suns coverage, with The Jason Ross & Doug Christie Show getting things started at 3:00pm PST prior to a 7:00pm PST tip-off.
