Postgame Quotables: Kings discuss the dramatic win over the Suns

The Sacramento Kings defeated the Phoenix Suns in dramatic fashion on the road Wednesday night on a three-pointer by Harrison Barnes.

Following the game, Luke Walton, Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton and Barnes spoke to the media.

Here are some key quotables from the postgame.

Poor Play In the First Half

Harrison Barnes: “I think there is something to be said, obviously, about the win, but I think overall in this game we just have to be better. In the first half, the way we played just not necessarily the [right] compete level. Going into the fourth up 10 and kind of just letting them work their way back. It’s one of those things where you win a game, you say, we did all of these things to win the game, but there could have been easily 1 or 2 shots or plays they made that we say, we lost another game down the stretch.”

Buddy Hield: “Too stagnant. Everything was pass, pass, we didn’t do enough penetration, not enough ball movement. I tried to be aggressive, but it put me into some trouble.”

Second-Half Turnaround

Tyrese Haliburton: “Just coming together as a team [at halftime] and kind of looking at ourselves in the mirror and we know we haven’t had a great second half in any of our games so far this year. We knew it was important that we had a good start to the third quarter. We came out right away and had a lot of deflections and steals and got up and down and before we knew it, we were right back in there. It was just big for us to start the third quarter well. Still, we know we can be a lot better in the fourth. We’ve just got to be better at closing games. That’s the next step if we want to make the playoffs and change the culture here.”

“When we got back to the locker room [at halftime], we were talking to each other and it was like man, that’s probably the worst half of basketball that we’ve played this season and we’re only down 8 to a team that was in the NBA Finals last year. To say that is like, well let’s just be better.” “I think that’s a testament to how much of a jump we have had from last season. We had a rough start to the first half, like I said, it’s probably our worst half of basketball this year, but we answered the bell.”

Luke Walton: “Much better second half. Now, our first half was pretty gross, but it’s find a way some nights and that’s a really good team we just played, and to come out and play like that in the second half with that energy, we start hitting the glass better, we started contesting shots better. We played at a faster pace and that’s how we have to do it for the whole game.”

“Tonight, honestly, in the second half the whole blueprint went out the window because we weren’t playing with near enough energy in that first half. So, the second half was strictly based on who was going to come out and play with the appropriate energy out there and competitive spirit and we found it there in the second half.”

Harrison Barnes Game-Winner

Buddy Hield: “You come to the gym, he’s [Barnes] one of the first guys there. Him and Mezi [Chimezie Metu]. He’s working his butt off man, and the hard work he’s putting in is showing. We want him shooting the ball more because he’s going to make lot of shots … so we need him to stay aggressive. No surprise to see where he’s at now. He’s been working hard every morning, every pregame, even on off days he’s one of the first guys here so he’s setting the tone right for this team.”

“The second half we were able to adjust and find a good rhythm and we can’t give up a 10-point lead like that, but thank God Harrison bailed us out with that.”

Harrison Barnes: “We were just trying to get a good look. We knew that worst-case scenario, we go to OT.” “That was our biggest thing, with no timeouts, just try to get a good look.”

Buddy Hield On His Dribbling

“That’s not what my team wants me to do because like, me dribbling the ball is not going to help us to be honest with you. But me just passing, chasing and making great plays, quick decisions to help my team.” “Especially being a good shooter, you’ve just got to pass and chase and make teams go over, and try to make the right plays for your team.”

A Few Takeaways

• Harrison Barnes is such a pro. He didn’t sit and dwell in his glory after making that shot. Instead, he offered accurate constructive criticism of the team’s play over the whole game.
• Also, more examples provided here of Barnes being one of the hardest workers on the team.
• It was nice to see how the team came together at halftime and realized how despite the poor performance they were still in it and made adjustments to make it happen in the second half. (Even if they almost lost it.)
• Buddy Hield basically admits here that him dribbling a lot and being overly aggressive gets him into trouble and that isn’t what the team wants him to do. If he can move without the ball, cut down on the turnovers, make quick decisions and focus solely on getting his shots up the team will certainly benefit more having him on the floor. He had a good night with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and was a +3 for the game. (He had 4 turnovers.)
• We have heard it so many times in recent years – this team just simply needs to “learn how to win.” Through the first four games we might…might…might have seen that actually taking place. All four games have tested the Kings ability to close. They are 2-2 in those situations against three playoff teams from last season and a good Golden State Warriors team.
• Interesting to see Walton say the second half rotation was based on who was going to play with the appropriate energy.

Don’t look now, but the Kings are .500 at the 5^th seed in the standings and have the 1-4 New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.