Barnes’ Massive Fourth Quarter Snaps Losing Streak, Lifts Kings Past Wizards
Dec 15, 2021, 9:50 PM | Updated: Dec 17, 2021, 9:41 am
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
De’Aaron Fox scored 28 points, Harrison Barnes scored 15 points in the fourth & the Kings snapped a three-game losing-streak
Before Wednesday night’s game between the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards tipped off, Doug Christie told the media that his head coaching debut wasn’t just an opportunity for himself, but an opportunity for the team as a whole.
In front of a home crowd at Golden 1 Center, the Kings used a big night from De’Aaron Fox and a 15-point fourth quarter performance from Harrison Barnes to snap a three-game losing streak in the form of a 119-105 win over a talented Wizards team.
Christie, who was filling in for Kings head coach Alvin Gentry (COVID-19), enjoyed a win in his first experience as an NBA head coach. Gentry, Marvin Bagley III and Terence Davis were all out due to COVID-19 Health & Safety protocols, but the Kings were able to find production from their stars and bench to piece together an impressive win.
With the win, Sacramento improves to 12-17 on the season and regains possession of the 10th seed spot in the Western Conference standings.
For the first time since Friday night’s game in Charlotte, the Kings looked competitive in the first quarter. De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield combined for 14 points in the first to help keep Sacramento within five points as the Wizards took a 32-27 lead into the second.
While the Kings looked improved in the early going, Washington went on a 13-4 run to end the period and erase some early momentum from the home team.
Fox finished the first half with a team-high 16 points (the second-most points that the guard has scored in a first half this season) to keep the Kings within one at the halftime break. All-Star guard Bradley Beal answered Fox’s output with 19 points to give the Wizards a slight 57-56 advantage heading into the second half.
Washington quickly took its largest lead of the game at 68-58 after opening the second half with an 11-2 run to create some separation early in the third quarter. The Wizards lead grew to 12 before Buddy Hield, Tristan Thompson and Chimezie Metu led the Kings on a 7-0 run to end erase put a dent into the deficit.
Thanks to the effort from the Sacramento bench, the Kings were able to keep the game from getting out of hand and pull themselves to within five points at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
De’Aaron Fox picked up his fourth foul in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter to immediately put the talented guard in a tough position down the closing stretch. Fox’s aggressiveness would not be deterred by the foul trouble as he would go on to score back-to-back baskets to help put the Kings back in front at 90-89 with under 10 minutes to go.
After scoring just four points through the first three quarters of action, Harrison Barnes got his offense going at a very ideal time. The veteran forward scored 10-straight points to give Sacramento its largest lead of the night at 105-96.
Barnes sank two free-throws to give the Kings a 109-98 lead with just over three minutes remaining to all but put this one away as Sacramento was able to close it out and pick up a much needed win–a win for acting head coach Doug Christie in front of a delighted crowd at Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento outscored Washington 35-16 in the fourth quarter, with Barnes nearly outscoring the Wizards on his own in the final period.
“That’s proud basketball,” Christie said after the game. “That’s what I expect. Compete your butt off and we can live with the results of that.” Tyrese Haliburton said that Christie was given the game ball after the team entered the locker room following the game.
While it’s only one game, Wednesday night was a bright spot for this Kings team that has struggled over the past week. With a majority of the upcoming schedule taking place at home, tonight’s effort was a good start to a hopeful redemptive stretch of games.
Rounding Out The Box Score
De’Aaron Fox scored 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, his fourth game over his last five appearances with 28 points or more. The talented guard is finding his groove on the offensive end after struggling for most of November.
Harrison Barnes scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and finished the game six-of-10 from the field. The 29-year-old has looked rusty since returning from a foot injury, but was able to burst out of his slump in a big way to help lead Sacramento to the win.
Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson (new Kings-high) both scored 15 points off of the bench, while Chimezie Metu and Davion Mitchell (in his first-career start) each scored 13 points to round out the scoring.
Tyrese Haliburton flirted with his first-career triple-double, stuffing the stat-sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, nine assists, three steals and three blocks over 36 minutes. “I almost had a triple-double, but Doug took me out the last couple minutes,” Haliburton joked after the game while giggling. ” Crazy. Y’all saw it.”
Welcome To The Show
Former Kings guard and current assistant coach Doug Christie was named acting head coach in the wake of Alvin Gentry (COVID-19)’s absence. Christie is in his first season with the organization as an assistant coach and was reportedly being considered for the role of interim head coach before the team selected Gentry for the role after Luke Walton was fired on November 21st.
Injury Updates
- Richaun Holmes suffered a blow to the face from Magic center Mo Bamba during an attempt underneath the basket last Wednesday night. The 28-year-old immediately exited the game with a bloodied face and went to the Kings locker room. Holmes had a right eye laceration repaired on Thursday and is considered day-to-day. Sacramento upgraded Holmes from ‘out’ to ‘doubtful’ for Wednesday night’s contest before the center was officially ruled out shortly before tip-off.
- Marvin Bagley III & Terence Davis were both placed into the NBA’s COVID-19 Health & Safety Protocols on Wednesday afternoon. Both players can return to action after registering successive negative tests that are 24 hours apart.
- Kings head coach Alvin Gentry tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning and will be sidelined until registering successive negative tests 24 hours apart. The 67-year-old says that he is “largely asymptomatic”.
- For the latest updates surrounding the team’s health/injury updates, click here.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
- December 17th vs Memphis Grizzlies
- December 19th vs San Antonio Spurs
- December 20th @ Golden State Warriors
- December 22nd vs Los Angeles Clippers
- December 26th vs Memphis Grizzlies
Coming Up
The home-stand will continue for the Kings on Friday night when they face the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center.
On November 28th, the shorthanded Grizzlies embarrassed Sacramento at the FedEx Forum, winning by a final of 128-101 behind 21 points from Dillon Brooks. Star guard Ja Morant (knee) will not be available for Memphis on Friday.
The Kings are looking to snap a four-game losing streak against Memphis dating back to the beginning of the 2020-21 season. Sacramento’s last win over the Grizzlies was on February 28, 2020.
You can find all of your Kings vs Grizzlies coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK starting at 3:00pm PST on The Jason Ross Show prior to a 7:00pm PST tip-off from Golden 1 Center.
