SACRAMENTO -- Just what the doctor ordered.
After a series of close games and bad beats, the Sacramento Kings needed a blowout win in a bad way. That is exactly what they received Monday night against the injury ravaged Golden State Warriors at Golden 1 Center.
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Golden State (9-29) kept the game close early in the night, but a strong performance in the third quarter pushed the Kings (14-23) lead all the way to 31. For one of the few times this season, the Kings finished off a team in runaway fashion, picking up the 111-98 win on their home floor.
Here are three takeaways as the Kings picked up a much needed victory:
Buddy is back
Buddy Hield continued his streaky shooting Monday against the Warriors. He struggled early, but put on a show coming out of the half.
NBA
In the third quarter alone, Hield poured in 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting from long range to help him surpass the 20-point mark for the sixth consecutive game.
Hield finished the night with 21 points on 7-of-17 from the field and 4-of-10 from long range. He added four assists and turned the ball over just twice after giving it away seven times in the Kings loss to the Pelicans on Saturday.
Ariza takes over
34-year-old Trevor Ariza gave father time a straight arm Monday at Golden 1 Center. The 16-year NBA vet showed some bounce early, dunking his first three shot attempts. And then he started hitting from long range.
In his first stint off the bench, Ariza scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and picked up a steal in 10 minutes of action to wake up his team. He finished with 18 on 7-for-9 shooting, but his strong play early was impactful.
Coach Luke Walton relies heavily on Ariza at times to help stabilize his young core. The veteran forward plays solid defense and rarely makes mistakes. He’s well below his career average, but he’s also playing fewer minutes than he has since the 2007-08 season.
Holmes goes down
Less than five minutes into the third quarter, Buddy Hield fed Richaun Holmes in the post. Three Warriors collapsed on the Kings’ center and knocked the ball away.
When the three Golden State players cleared out, Holmes was left holding his right shoulder. After a missed offensive opportunity, the Kings were forced to foul and Holmes left the court and headed straight to the locker room.
According to the team, Holmes sustained a right shoulder injury. It’s unknown at this time how long he might miss, but the 26-year-old center has been the team’s MVP this season.