Hield, Ayton split weekend games against each other

Bahamian National Basketball Association (NBA) players Chavano “Buddy” Hield and DeAndre Ayton battled each other on Saturday and Sunday night as they split their back-to-back games. Ayton and the Phoenix Suns (2-1) won 116-100 in a road game against Hield’s Sacramento Kings (2-1) on Sunday night. Hield and the Kings prevailed 1-6-103 on Saturday night. Both games were played at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

Suns’ center Ayton finished with his first double-double of the season on Sunday, grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds and scoring 11 points. He also showed off his passing skills as he dished out four assists. The big man shot 5-for-11 from the field, going 45.5 percent, in 29 minutes.

Hield scored a team-high 17 points in the loss and had three assists. In 34 minutes – a team high – the shooting guard finished 6-for-16 to shoot 37.5 percent from the field. He was able to finish 3-for-9 from the three-point territory, 33.3 percent.

Ayton’s 15 rebounds helped his team to a 44-39 edge on the boards.

The number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft first made shot of the evening was a three-point shot that give his team their first lead of the game, 7-6, with 8:43 remaining in the first quarter. Chris Paul picked up the assist.

Hield’s first bucket of the game came with 7:39 remaining in the first quarter when he hit a two-point shot to cut the Suns’ deficit to 10-8. De’Aaron Fox picked up the assist.

The Kings went into the second quarter with a 33-28 lead.

A huge second half by the Suns gave them the edge in this game. With 5:23 remaining in the third quarter, the Suns went on a game-changing 22-8 scoring run to close that quarter in the driver’s seat. The score was 90-78 heading into the fourth quarter. It was the offensive momentum that the Suns needed as they continue to work out the kinks on offense with newcomer Paul running the point guard position.

The Suns kept the lead at double-digits in the fourth quarter as they held on for the victory.

On Saturday, Grand Bahamian Hield finished with 14 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the field, 28.6 percent. He had four rebounds and one steal in 35 minutes on the floor, and knocked down two three-pointers. He was instrumental in helping his team get the win down the final stretch of the game.

Ayton flirted with a double-double in the loss, finishing with 12 rebounds and nine points. He shot 3-for-5 from the field and the charity stripe, shooting 60 percent from both. The third-year player also finished with two assists and a block.

It was a wild finish in this game as the Kings were up 99-97 with 2:06 left in the game. The Kings’ Richaun Holmes completed an and-one play with 1:43 remaining to put his team up 102-97. After Paul split a pair of free-throws with 1:08 left, Holmes made both free-throws to give his team a 104-100 lead with 49.6 seconds remaining.

Hield went 2-for-4 from the free-throw line to give his team a 106-100 lead with 4.7 seconds remaining.

Paul hit a three-pointer as the final buzzer expired but that did not matter as the Kings had secured the victory and started the season with a 2-0 win-loss record. It was their first 2-0 start since they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers to start the 2003-2004 season under former head coach Rick Adelman.

The Suns return to action tonight when they play a home game against Brandon Ingraham and the New Orleans Pelicans (2-1) at the Phoenix Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Tip-off is at 10 p.m. and the game will be broadcasted on TNT (Turner Network Television).

Sharpshooter Hield and the Kings will play another home game tonight, taking on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets (0-2). This game will also get underway at 10 p.m.

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