They just don’t stop. Despite falling behind by 19-points for the second straight game, the Sacramento Kings continued their run of success Sunday afternoon at Golden 1 Center.
Three players scored 20 or more for Sacramento, and De’Aaron Fox just missed the mark with 19 points and 11 assists.
Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis put in quality performances for New Orleans, but it wasn’t enough to stop the young Kings.
Sacramento currently stands at 18-15 on the season. Here are a few positives and negatives from the team’s 122-117 win over the Pelicans:
POSITIVE
Willie vs. The Brow
Willie Cauley-Stein has drawn the ire of fans for his comments to the media, as well as his inability to keep big name centers off the boards. Against Davis, Cauley-Stein was exceptional.
The Kings’ big man ran the floor, played defense and even set a new career-high in rebounds with 17. He stayed low in his stance and kept Davis from having a monster game.
Cauley-Stein added 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting and picked up three steals and blocked a shot in 35 minutes of action.
This was one of his most complete games as a pro. He went toe-to-toe against one of the best bigs in the league and came away even. Cauley-Stein needs to watch this game film on loop over the next 48 hours and find a way to repeat the performance for the next 50 games.
POSITIVE
Buddy and Bogi
Wanting another big win, coach Dave Joerger turned to a three guard set of Fox, Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic for long stretches on Sunday. All three came up big, but Hield and Bogdanovic both had huge moments.
For the seventh straight game, Hield broke the 20-point barrier, finishing with 28 points on 11-of-18 from the field and 6-of-11 from long range. Hield is now posting 20.4 points per game on the season and over his last six games, he’s averaged 28.2 a night.
Bogdanovic has been slowed with a foot injury, but you can see him trying to fight through it. Against New Orleans, he did a little of everything, scoring 24 points, dishing out seven assists, grabbing four boards and picking up a steal.
POSITVE/NEGATIVE
Fighting Through the Pain
It was clear when Fox walked on the court that his right shoulder was hurting. Covered in black athletic tape, the sophomore guard worked at every stoppage to loosen up the joint, which he banged up in the team’s win over the Grizzlies on Friday.
The injury didn’t stop Fox from posting big numbers and he looked just fine during his chase down block of Tim Frazier in the first half. But due to his style of play and the reckless abandon Fox plays at, this is the type of injury that might stick around for a little while.
Following the game, Fox sat in his locker stall with a massive ice wrap on his right shoulder. Hopefully the two days off between games helps with the healing.
NEGATIVE
Digging a Hole part 2
Whatever the reason for the slow starts, the Kings need to figure it out. They have been able to survive the last two games, but this isn’t a trend you want to continue.
Maybe it’s an energy issue coming out the gate. Maybe it takes a little while to get up to speed. Whatever it is, there will be a game where the opposition doesn’t wear down in the third quarter and the Kings take a huge loss.
It makes for good quotes and a fun story, but it also adds a few gray hairs to the coach’s head.
Be the first to comment