Edwards, T-Wolves snap Sacramento’s five-game winning streak

Mar 4, 2023, 10:25 PM | Updated: 10:39 pm

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings brings the ball up th...

(Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

In a season that the Sacramento Kings have pulled out several nail-biting games, Saturday night’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves gave the team its first heartbreaking loss in quite some time.

After erasing a 17-point third-quarter deficit, the Kings had a chance to tie or take the lead with less than a minute to go, but too many defensive lapses bit them in the end as Minnesota claimed a 138-134 win at Golden 1 Center.

All-Star guard Anthony Edwards scored 27 points, while veteran guard Mike Conley scored 24 as the Timberwolves finished the night shooting 60 percent from the field and 51 percent from beyond the three-point line.

With the loss, the Kings (37-26) saw its five-game losing streak come to an end, but the team still maintains a 2.5-game lead over the fourth-place Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference standings.

A1 SINCE DAY 1 pic.twitter.com/N5umw7eHnL

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 5, 2023

Thanks to an explosive third quarter from Kevin Huerter (16 points), the Kings trimmed Minnesota’s 17-point lead to three heading into the fourth quarter.

Although Huerter’s 29-point performance and another 10-point fourth quarter from De’Aaron Fox put Sacramento in a position to win the game, the Timberwolves put one too many runs together, and the Kings could not get consecutive stops when they needed to most.

Even with Edwards being held mostly in check down the stretch, Conley and Minnesota shot 58 percent from the field during the fourth, keeping Sacramento at arm’s length for most of the final stretch. Even with Fox on the attack, defense cost the Kings in this one as they dropped a close game to a T-Wolves team that is now tied for the sixth spot in the West.

“Anyone knows that it’s tough to win when you allow a team to score 138 points,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said of his team’s defensive effort. “It’s tough to win ballgames that way night in and night out. Especially entering a playoff series.”

Sacramento did turn up the defensive intensity in the third quarter, and the momentum appeared to shift once recently acquired forward Kessler Edwards entered the game.

In his first appearance at Golden 1 Center, Edwards did an admirable job defending Anthony Edwards over 14 minutes of playing time, using his length and on-ball defense to pressure the All-Star into tough shot attempts. The 22-year-old also knocked down a triple, one that helped keep the Kings alive late in the fourth.

Kessler knocks down the three 👌 pic.twitter.com/Zpoww5zQ20

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 5, 2023

“Kessler was a bright spot, getting thrown in the mix and telling him to go sign Anthony Edwards, one of the toughest assignments in the league,” Brown said of Edwards’ play on Saturday. “You’re not going to stop a guy like that, but I thought that he did a good job of making him work for his points. That was a bright spot in tonight’s game.”

The Pepperdine product spoke to the media postgame and shared his excitement towards making his Golden 1 Center debut, adding that it was a great experience to get out there and play with his new teammates.

“It felt good to get out there with my guys. It was my first time getting out there and playing at Golden 1,” Edwards said postgame. “I like the guys here, I like the coaches here. I’m glad I’m here right now.”

Brown went to Edwards in hopes of bringing a defensive impact into the fold against the T-Wolves team that couldn’t seem to miss, and the Kings responded each time that they fell behind by multiple possessions. The only problem was that for each run Sacramento mounted, Minnesota matched or exceeded thanks to a sluggish Kings’ defense.

Sure, the Kings had a go-ahead opportunity with less than a minute to go–a deep three-point attempt from Harrison Barnes that was no good–but this game was lost during the first half when the Timberwolves built a double-digit lead after scoring 74 points on 65 percent shooting before the break.

Brown said postgame that he isn’t comfortable heading into a playoff series with this current defense, and the final 19 games of the season will be a test to see if they have what it takes to make the necessary changes that could come in handy come mid-April.

Notes

De’Aaron Fox’s eight-game 30+ point streak came to an end against Minnesota, as the All-Star scored 25 points (10/22 FG) and handed out three assists over 36 minutes.

Domantas Sabonis racked up his league-leading 51st double-double during the loss, scoring 24 points, grabbing 14 boards, and handing out five assists over 32 minutes.

Kevin Huerter fell one point shy of matching his career-high as ‘Red Velvet’ scored 29 points (16 in the third quarter) on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and six-of-nine from three-point land over 32 minutes.

Harrison Barnes scored 20 points during the loss–his third-straight game with 20+ points.

After making all 26 free-throw attempts during Friday’s win over Los Angeles, the Kings went 22-for-30 (73%) from the charity stripe against Minnesota.

Next Game

Sacramento’s four-game home stand will continue on Monday night when the Kings face the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center.

On February 5th, Sacramento suffered its worst loss of the season as New Orleans took advantage of a De’Aaron Fox-less Kings team by a final of 136-104 at the Smoothie King Center.

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Pelicans coverage right here on Sactown Sports 1140 beginning at 5:30 PM PST on Game Night with Scott Marsh and Henry ‘The High Flyer’ Turner before a 7:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown Sacramento.