‘Jobs are on the line’: Bodies hit the floor to help Kings fight off Los Angeles Lakers
Buddy Hield and Richaun Holmes went down flat on their backs. De’Aaron Fox pushed through shoulder pain. Cory Joseph took a knee straight to the face.
In the end, Harrison Barnes powered his way past Markieff Morris for the go-ahead basket, helping the Kings hold off the Lakers in a hard-fought 123-120 victory Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.
When it was over, Hield was asked where the team found the will to win a physical game after a difficult nine-game losing streak put coach Luke Walton back on the hot seat with the All-Star break approaching.
“Our backs are against the wall,” Hield said after playing on a sprained right ankle. “At some point, you have to take this thing seriously. You know that people’s jobs are on the line. Everybody’s fighting for something.”
Hield scored a game-high 29 points with six rebounds and six assists for the Kings (14-21), who will close out the first-half schedule on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. Hield made 11 of 15 from the field and 7 of 11 from 3-point range.
Dennis Schroder had 29 points and nine assists for the Lakers (24-13), who were missing three starters with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Marco Gasol out of the lineup. Montrezl Harrell came off the bench to post 26 points and 13 rebounds. Kyle Kuzma had 25 points and 13 rebounds.
The Kings couldn’t capitalize against the Lakers’ depleted starting lineup in the early stages of the game. They trailed by as many as 14 in the first quarter before Joseph, Nemanja Bjelica and DaQuan Jeffries came off the bench to provide a spark. Fox and Hield were held scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting in the opening period.
The Kings cut the deficit to eight at the end of the first quarter and then surged ahead when Fox and Hield started cooking in the second. Hield got hot, scoring 14 points over a four-minute stretch with 11 coming in a span of 2:17. Sacramento led 63-61 at halftime. The Kings shot 54.8% in the opening half, but they allowed the Lakers to shoot 56.8%.
The Lakers reclaimed the lead late in the third quarter and went up 94-90 on a basket by Harrell early in the fourth, but the Kings responded with a 13-3 run to go up 103-97. Sacramento stretched the lead to eight before the Lakers came back to tie the game with 2:04 to play.
The Lakers went up by one on two free throws by Schroder with 42.6 seconds remaining, but Barnes muscled past Morris for the go-ahead basket. The Lakers had multiple chances to regain the lead on a frantic possession in the final seconds, but they couldn’t get a basket in a scrum that left Holmes and Hield on the floor.
Barnes made two free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining to put the Kings up by three. Kuzma had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but a shot over the outstretched arm of Holmes glanced off the front of the rim.
Joseph came off the bench to post 13 points and five assists for the Kings, who shot 60% from the field and made 12 of 25 (.480) from 3-point range. Bjelica had six points, six assists, five rebounds and one steal.
Joseph took a knee to the eye socket from Kuzma after being tripped up by Harrell, but he remained in the game after making sure his face was still intact.
“They’re a veteran team,” Joseph said. “They’re very physical. They have strong players. They’re going to get into your body. They’re going to muck up the game. They win a lot of games like that, so it was a point of emphasis for us to get out there and match their physicality 100%.”
Walton said he was pleased to see that fight from his players with the All-Star break fast approaching.
““I can tell you as a former player, when you’re a day or two away from All-Star … these are the dog days of the NBA,” Walton said. “It’s hard, especially this season with the amount of games and the amount of time, and everyone’s banged up and all the different stuff that’s going into it, from isolation to quarantines. It’s tough right now. I thought our guys showed grit tonight and they fought.”
Not in uniform
Both sides were dealing with a number of absences due to injuries and NBA health and safety protocols.
The Kings cleared Hield to play after listing him as questionable with a right ankle sprain, but rookie Tyrese Haliburton was still out due to left calf soreness. Kings coach Luke Walton said Haliburton will also be held out when the Kings visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
James missed his first game of the season due to left ankle soreness after scoring 38 points in 38 minutes in a 114-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. Davis has been out since Feb. 14 with a left calf strain. Gasol missed his second game under health and safety protocols. The Lakers were also missing Alex Caruso, who was held out due to neck spasms.
The Kings were still without Hassan Whiteside (health and safety protocols), Jabari Parker (health and safety protocols), Chimezie Metu (right wrist fracture) and Robert Woodard II (left hamstring strain).
Up next
The Kings will conclude the first-half schedule when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday in their final game before the All-Star break.
The Blazers (19-14) will also be on the second night of a back-to-back after playing host to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. They had lost four in a row before beating the Charlotte Hornets 123-111 on Monday.
The Blazers have been hit hard by injuries again this season. CJ McCollum (left midfoot fracture), Jusuf Nurkic (right wrist fracture), Zach Collins (left ankle fracture) and Harry Giles III (left calf strain) are all out.
Damian Lillard continues to carry the team with his heroics, averaging 29.6 points and 8.1 assists. Lillard and Carmelo Anthony made six 3-pointers apiece to help the Blazers set a franchise record with 24 3-point goals in Monday’s win over the Hornets.
Kings upcoming schedule
March 4 at Portland Trail Blazers, 7 p.m.
March 11 vs. Houston Rockets, 7 p.m.
March 13 at Atlanta Hawks, 4:30 p.m.
March 15 at Charlotte Hornets, 4 p.m.
March 17 at Washington Wizards, 4 p.m.
