Hield, Kings win third straight game

Bahamian professional basketball player Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield continued to struggle from the field but his team, the Sacramento Kings (11-14), managed to get their third straight win on Wednesday night. They defeated the Orlando Magic (5-21), 142-130, on their home court at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

The Kings are perfect in all three of their games in December, and have a 5-3 win/loss record since Alvin Gentry took over for the fired Luke Walton. The Kings started their winning streak with back-to-back victories over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Hield shot just 2-for-13 from the field on Wednesday, including 1-for-10 from three-point territory. He finished with just five points. He had one rebound and an assist in 18 minutes of play. Hield has in his last five games from deep, going 4-for-33 from that distance. In the three games in December, the guard went 2-for-18 from deep. He has a total of 19 points in those three games for an average of 6.3 points per game which is well below his average of 15.5 points per game this season. He is shooting below 40 percent from the field and from three-point range this season.

The 142 points on Wednesday evening is a season-high for the Kings, but Gentry was not happy about his team’s defensive effort, allowing 130 points. The Kings scored over 30 points in each quarter, outscoring the Magic in the first three quarters before both teams scored 38 points each in the fourth quarter.

The Kings were led by point guard De’Aaron Fox with 33 points. Cole Anthony had 33 for the Magic in the loss.

The game had six ties and 12 lead changes. The Kings’ bench came alive for them in this game, scoring 55 points compared to the Magic’s bench which finished with 29 points.

Both teams were on fire in the first quarter with the Kings shooting 62.5 percent from the field and the Magic hitting the 54.2 percent mark. Hield’s only made shot in that quarter came from a driving layup with 1:03 remaining in the period. The Kings trailed 34-32 at that point. At the end of the quarter, the Kings held a 38-36 lead.

There was some separation in the second quarter as the Kings led by as much as nine points which came with just over five minutes left in the half. The Magic battled back and cut the lead down to three points, trailing the Kings, 70-67.

The Kings had their first double-digit lead at the 8:01 mark of the third quarter as they went up 85-74. The third quarter was the Kings’ best quarter defensively and they were able to build a 104-92 lead heading into the final period.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings picked up their offense and held their largest lead of the game of 18 points with 6:25 remaining on a pair of free throws from Harrison Barnes. The Kings led 125-107 at that point.

Overall, the Kings shot 54.6 percent from the field while the Magic shot 49.5 percent. The teams were even on the boards with 43 rebound each.

Hield will have an opportunity to break out of his slump when he goes up against fellow Bahamian, rookie Kai Jones, as the Kings battle the Charlotte Hornets (14-13) tonight. That game will held be at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will tip off at 7 p.m.

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