Harry Giles breaks out in Kings' win over Hawks, draws lofty comparisons

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SACRAMENTO -- Harry Giles had a moment. It’s not the first time the rookie big has played well, but in the Kings 135-113 thumping of the Hawks Wednesday evening at Golden 1 Center, the 20-year-old had a career night.

Needing a spark off the bench, Dave Joerger unleashed his 6-foot-10 center on an unsuspecting Atlanta team. He looked calm and relaxed in his first stint on the floor, scoring eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field in nine first half minutes.

Willie Cauley-Stein picked up his fourth foul a little over a minute into the third quarter and once again, Joerger called on Giles to fill the middle. He didn’t disappoint.

Giles went on a tear, punishing the Hawks for 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting in the quarter. He was active on the glass and he found his teammates on a series of unbelievable passes.

“For me, he’s a mix of Draymond Green and Chris Webber,” Bogdan Bogdanovic raved. “By playing time and by learning how to play and his experience, he’ll learn. This game will be so easy for him.”

Giles finished with just one assist, according to the final stat book, but that doesn’t tell the entire story. Sacramento funneled the offense through Giles in the high post. He set screens and found the open man.

His lone assist came on a back cut to Bogdanovic, who finished at the rim with ease. Bogdanovic was ready for the look, because he’s become accustomed to Giles’ court vision during practices over the last two seasons.

“It was a surprise for me in the first couple of practices, but then after that I saw that’s his game, that’s what he has in his setups and his skills,” Bogdanovic added. “It’s not just passing. It’s that read that he can make.”

Giles finished the evening with a career-high 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field in just 21 minutes of play. He added seven rebounds, but he was looking for more.

“I needed those three boards to complete my night,” Giles said. “I’ll accept it tonight. We got the win, so that was most important to me.”

The victory kicked off the Kings’ six-game homestand on the right foot. They moved back over the .500 mark on the season at 26-25 and into a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the ninth-best record in the Western Conference standings, just two games behind the Clippers for eighth.

[RELATED: Kings surpass Vegas win over/under before end of January]

This is the first time since the 2004-05 season that the Kings are above .500 entering the month of February.

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