The Sacramento Kings claimed just their second, but easily their biggest, win of the season to date with a huge 94-86 upset over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. What’s more surprising, though, is that they did it despite none of their starters scoring a single point for well over half of the first half, which actually set an obscure and unwanted record.
The Kings set a record for points scored before a starter scored (29) breaking the record of 23 by MIL at Orlando on 4/5/11.
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) November 8, 2017
Willie Cauley-Stein’s two free-throws at the 4:08 mark of the second quarter were the first points a Kings starter scored in the game. The starting five didn’t score that much afterward, either, with only Zach Randolph (18 points) reaching double-digits.
Luckily, the Kings' bench came through in a big way. Buddy Hield and Justin Jackson, who actually were starters until recently, combined for 37 points, while rookie De’Aaron Fox, who possibly should be the starting point guard, added 10 points and eight assists.
Points have been hard to come by for the Kings, who are dead last in the league in scoring, averaging just 93.8 points per game. However, it’s a promising sign that Buddy Hield is finally snapping out of his horrendous shooting slump to start the year after moving to the bench.
In three games in November — all as a reserve — Hield is averaging 17 points on 63 percent shooting with 7.3 rebounds. It likely won’t be long now before he reclaims his place in the starting lineup. Maybe then the Kings won't have to worry about breaking their own unlikely record of futility.
Follow Us
Subscribe