After two consecutive defeats, respectively against the Jazz and the Celtics, the Kings found their way to victory by defeating the Suns (135-127). Mike Brown’s men were able to rely on the very good performance of Kevin Hurter, author of 29 points. Despite his recent back knee injury which had deprived him of the last three games, Hurter was in the starting line-up, and he even played 32 minutes. No question of limiting his playing time.
“His IQ and his basketball sense are so high that he can play alongside anyone without any problem, simply because he has a great sense of the game, especially offensively” praised Mike Brown about Kevin Huerter. “He had trained very well the day before, and he didn’t seem to be out of pace. He had already missed matches and we had already reinstated him directly in the starting lineup. He gave the impression of picking up where he left off before his injury as if nothing had happened..
The third quarter changed everything
In a first half generally dominated by Phoenix, Sacramento was 11 points behind at the break (67-56). Upon returning from the locker room, the Kings completely blew up the Suns, with a 3rd quarter won by 19 points (45-26). The main architect of this tornado inflicted on the men of Monty Williams was none other than Kevin Huerter. The former Atlanta player alone planted 16 points in the 3rd quarter.
“The audience was huge” said Kevin Huerter. “That third quarter was huge. It started with a few defensive stops, which allowed us to put points in transition. I felt like in the first half, the energy was weird. In the first quarter, and a bit in the second quarter, we were playing their game. We were playing a little too slowly. It was a half court game. We couldn’t really explode offensively so we had to pick up the pace, keep trying to move the ball around and find the best shots to take.”.
Kevin Huerter could not have dreamed of a better return with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists at 56% shooting, including 50% from 3-pointers. He also finished the game with a +/- of +20, the best mark of the game.
“It’s great to get Kevin back on the pitch” spoke Mike Brown. “He’s one of the best players in the league when it comes to spacing play off the ball. I have met some very good ones. He is part of the elite. Anytime you have a player who is capable of that, shooting the way he does and getting that much attention, that’s huge.”.
The Kings coach knows what he’s talking about, as he was assistant to Steve Kerr last season at the Warriors. And the least we can say is that on the San Francisco side, there are a few experts in the field.
