The early focus of the Kings' game Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves wasn't on the court as much as it was on NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who died Sunday at the age of 41 on Sunday along with eight others in a tragic helicopter accident.
Sacramento looked listless from the opening tip. Maybe it was the emotions of the previous 24 hours. Maybe it was the end of the long road trip. Whatever the reason, the effort wasn’t there early.
And then, the Kings started playing.
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In a wild contest that spilled into overtime, the Kings (17-29) battled back and came away with an incredible 133-129 victory over the Timberwolves (15-32).
Here are three takeaways from the Kings' second straight win.
Buddy was ready
Buddy Hield grew up idolizing Bryant, and he paid homage to the legend the way Bryant would have wanted Monday at Target Center.
NBA
Hield lit the T-Wolves up in the first half and continued his assault in the second, finishing the night with 42 points on 24 shots. Twenty-four, of course, was Bryant's number for much of his Los Angeles Lakers career and is Hield's now in Sacramento.
Since being sent to the bench two games ago, the Kings’ leading scorer looks more like himself. He’s hitting his shots, playing with confidence and making good decisions.
Sneaky like a Fox
With his team trailing by three points in the final seconds of regulation, De’Aaron Fox was fouled before he could get off a game-tying 3-point attempt.
He went to the line and hit the first free throw. With the Kings down two, Fox threw the ball off the front rim, grabbed his own miss and put it back up for an improbable comeback with 3.6 seconds remaining.
Fox came up huge late, finishing with 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the Kings' win.
[RELATED: Kings' Walton reflects on loss of his close friend Kobe]
Guard somebody
Clearly the Kings’ plan coming into the game was to double big man Karl-Anthony Towns and make the Timberwolves shooters beat them. That is exactly what they almost did.
Andrew Wiggins hit 7-of-11 from deep. Robert Covington knocked down 6-of-10, and six other T-Wolves dropped in a triple as Minnesota hit a franchise-record 23 3-pointers.
There was a plan. It didn’t work. The adjustment came late, and somehow the Kings pulled off the win.