Big wins for Hield, Ayton on Super Sunday

After his worst game of the season, and certainly one of the worst of his five-year NBA career, Bahamian Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield came back on Super Bowl Sunday and dropped in 22 points on 7-for-18 shooting in a pivotal 113-110 road victory for the Sacramento Kings over the Los Angeles Clippers in Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Meanwhile, in the valley of the Suns, fellow Bahamian DeAndre Ayton was back in double-double mode, scoring 16 points and adding 11 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Boston Celtics, 100-91, on Super Sunday at the Phoenix Suns Arena in downtown Phoenix, Arizona.

For Hield and the Kings, the victory was their fourth straight and seventh in their last eight games, continuing their trajectory upward in a tough Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). They find themselves with a 12-11 win/loss record, tied for the eighth spot in the west and over .500 basketball for the first time since the end of 2020.

De’Aaron Fox led the Kings in scoring on Sunday with a game-high 36 points and Hield contributed 22. Lou Williams paced the Clippers with 23 off the bench and Kawhi Leonard added 20.

For the season, Hield is averaging 15.9 points per game – down from the 20.7 and 19.2 he turned in over the past two seasons in Sacramento. He is adding 4.7 rebounds and three assists in 34.9 minutes per game this season while shooting a career-low 37.3 from the field and is 37.3 

percent from three-point land.

On Saturday night against the Denver Nuggets, Hield was a woeful 1-for-11 from the field including 0-for-9 from distance, ending an 87-game streak in which he had hit at least one three pointer. The starting two-guard of the Kings finished with just five points in 39 minutes of play, but added seven assists and four rebounds and the Kings held on, 119-114, to complete a season sweep of the Nuggets.

On Sunday, the 28-year-old Bahamian sharp shooter was much more efficient. Included in the 7-for-18 performance was a 3-for-9 afternoon from distance.

However, for the season, his production is down. He is taking less shot attempts and is averaging almost five less points per game despite playing the most minutes of his career. Hield has started all 23 games for the Kings this season but is having the worst season of his career shooting-wise. The reigning NBA Three-Point Champion remains second in the league in three-pointers made with 88.

As for Ayton, he had a four-game double-double streak snapped on Friday, but started up another one on Sunday with his performance against the Celtics. He has started in all 22 games for the Suns this season and now has 14 double-doubles. Ayton had 23 double-doubles in limited action a year ago as a result of a shortage of games due to the presence of COVID-19 and also suspension and injury, and a Suns’ rookie record 39 in 2018-2019 – the year he was the number one overall draft pick in the league. 

With the win, the Suns improved to a 13-9 record and are in fourth in the west, building on the undefeated run they had through eight games in the NBA bubble in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, last season. It was their second straight win and their fifth win in their last six games.

Mikal Bridges paced the Suns with 19 points on Sunday. Devin Booker added 18, Cameron Johnson had 17 off the bench and Ayton powered in 16. Chris Paul added to the balanced scoring attack afternoon with 15 for the Suns. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points and Kemba Walker added 14.

For the season, Ayton is scoring 14 points and pulling down 12.7 rebounds per game. His scoring average is down from the 16.3 and 18.2 he recorded in his first two years in the league but he is averaging a career-high in rebounds’ over a rebound per game higher than what he did in 2019-2020 -– his previous career-high.

Ayton has pulled down single-digit rebounds just four times this season, and is averaging 14.09 rebounds per game over his last 11 games.

Ayton is fourth in the league in rebounds, trailing just behind Clint Capela of the Atlanta Hawks (14.6), Andre Drummond of the Cleveland Cavaliers (14.2) and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz (13.5).

On Sunday, the 22-year-old Bahamian big man was a force to reckon with in the middle, continuing to be a rock of stability in the middle of the Suns’ unit, offensively and defensively, this season.

Hield and the Kings host the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, while Ayton and the Suns will be back in action tonight, hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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