Buddy Hield broke the collective hearts of the Detroit Pistions and their supporters as he hit a game-winning triple for the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
Following the tight 103-101 defeat, the Pistons were visibly upset with how the officials handled the game, particularly in the sequence that led to Hield's game-winning play:
“Fumbling the ball, taking control of the dribble to gather the ball, picking it up with two hands, and taking another dribble, definitely works to your advantage,” said Pistons star Blake Griffin, via Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
“That was par for the course for the night. I can't say anything about the officiating, but … I don't know that I've ever been a part of a game like that.”
Pistons veteran big man Zaza Pachulia seemed to echo these sentiments:
“Once he picked up the ball, he couldn't dribble anymore,” Pachulia said. “That's messed up. Unfortunately he did. He got by me easy because it was sort of surprising.
“One-foot floater from (three-point range)? C'mon.”
There is indeed some controversy in the buildup to Hield's shot, but it does not take away from the fact that the Kings guard made a truly amazing shot to win it at the buzzer.
Hield was cooking all night long, as the 26-year-old dropped 35 big points against the Pistons on 13-of-22 shooting. He drained seven 3-pointers and also added nine rebounds, three assists, a block, and just one turnover in another remarkable performance for the Kings.
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