The first quarter started off with the Sacramento Kings playing some really good basketball, led by their main guy in De’Aaron Fox who was getting shots to go early. Buddy Hield started off slow, missing the majority of his shots but we got to see Bogdan Bogdanovic for the first time and he made five quick points on a layup and a three. The Toronto Raptors started the quarter slow, but the threes were going in and they eventually took over on a late run to end the first quarter.

The second quarter also went Toronto’s way, as they scored 35 points in that quarter led by the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam. Fox and Willie were the Kings best players but they would still trail at the end of the first half.

The third quarter featured some terrible officiating, even worse than the first two quarters. The Kings made a big run to get the game to 78-71, but the refs decided to step in and help the already 10-1 Raptors, who would then go on an 8-0 run after the jump ball “foul” on Willie. Troy Williams made dunks and Buddy Hield caught fire, but the quarter still ended 94-78. Thanks, refs.

The Kings started the quarter with some bench players but when the starters came in, the game completely switched momentum in Sacramento’s favor. They made it 106-99 with Willie making a big impact, but Leonard is still Leonard and Serge Ibaka also made a big three. Kings couldn’t convert the other way on multiple occasions and Toronto made them pay. The final score ended at 114-105.

Best Players

Willie Cauley-Stein had another great game, going for 24 points on 10-15 shooting (4/5 free throws), eight rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. He was attacking the rim, where the majority of his points should come from, and also made big dunks for us to enjoy. A nice bounce back game from Willie after the Milwaukee outing. No Willie Money Watch today, since it’s evident here.

Buddy Hield started the game unusually slow, but heated up in the third quarter with over 15 points. He would finish with 24 on 9-22 shooting (3-9 from three) to tie WCS for the team’s leading scorer.

De’Aaron Fox is just insane and he continues to improve on both sides of the floor. His defense late on Kyle Lowry was very impress. Lowry was held to 6-13 shooting (2-8 from three). Fox also had four assists but at times got a little sloppy with dribbling and passing.

Marvin Bagley came off the bench to lead the Kings in much needed scoring, since Nemanja Bjelica had his worst game of the season. Bagley provided 13 points, three rebounds and a block. We saw that fadeaway with the left as well, Bagley (insert eye emoji).

Notable Players

As mentioned, Bjelica had everything go against him this game and he was clearly frustrated at the refs, which led to an unnecessary deep three that barely grazed the rim. In 18 minutes, he was 0-5 from the field but had one rebounds, three assists, one block and four steals. Bad foul calls got him out of the game early.

Troy Williams had a other solid performance off the bench, proving he’s the most capable small forward on the team (since Justin Jackson decided to disappear after a 22 point game last week). Williams scored seven points on 3-3 shooting, with two dunks being the highlights of his performance. He also had three rebounds and two assists.

Bogi returned! He played 18 minutes and scored five immediate points upon entry in the first quarter. He finished with seven points on 3-7 shooting with two rebounds and one assist.

Notable Stats

The Kings were out-rebounded 60-40, but the score does not show that.

The Kings had 27 assists compared to 17 for Toronto.

The Kings had less turnovers (15-21) but had more fouls (26-21), obviously. It’s hard to beat two opponents in one game, especially when the calls are that obvious but the Kings still played well.

The Game in One Sentence

You guys can take this one.

Next Game

The Kings host the Minnesota Timberwolves this Friday at 7:00 PM PST.