Who said California’s capitol city wasn’t that entertaining? The Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets put on a show last night, in an incredible matchup between two young exciting ball clubs. Buzz City would end up on top, but it was a historic night nonetheless. Buddy Hield reached an NBA milestone last night, becoming the fastest player to hit 1,000 3-pointers (350 games). Hield did this faster than Steph Curry (369), Klay Thompson (372) and Damian Lillard (385). But because of Malik Monk, it would all be for nothing.
Buddy Hield was absolutely scorching last night, going 5-7 from beyond the arc in the first quarter alone. Hield went for 30 points (60% shooting) making making 8-15 behind the arc (62%). The rest of the Kings cast had big games as well. Harrison Barnes went for 28 points (71% shooting), six rebounds and six assists while Marvin Bagley III had 24 points (55% shooting) and 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double this season. De’Aaron Fox added 20 points and 14 assists. Richaun Holmes (13) and Nemanja Bjelica (11) both finished in double-digits, with each of them shooting over 60% from the field. It was a complete group effort for Luke Walton’s young squad. They should have gotten the job done last night, considering they were up by 8 with less than a minute left in the game, but missing six of eight free throws in the final three minutes won’t get ya there. And that’s exactly what Sacramento did.
Malik Monk would go on to hit a game-tying layup as time was expiring, drawing a foul in the process. Monk would go on to hit the free-throw giving Buzz City the lead with a barely a second left on the clock. Monk finished the game with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. He didn’t shoot the ball well from three, going 0-7 on the night. But Monk made the three-point play when he needed it, stunning Sacramento in the process. The rookie LaMelo Ball had a productive night, going for 24 points (58% shooting) and 12 assists and Miles Bridges added 13 points on 71% shooting. Terry Rozier didn’t have a particularly great game, but he hit some clutch shots when Charlotte needed them in order to stay alive. Despite all this, the night would belong to PJ Washington who had 42 points and nine assists. He went 15-23 from the field (65%) and 5-8 from three-point land (63%). It was a great win for this young Charlotte team, especially considering they were losing for the majority of the game. Charlotte played the free-throw game last night against Sacramento, and it played out in their favor.
All in all, it was an awesome game between two young, exciting teams. Maybe in a parallel universe, these two teams would meet in the 2026 NBA Finals. Who knows?
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