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In a planning anomaly, the Kings began their journey by a Saturday morning at Madison Square Garden. The New York Rangers battling the New Jersey Devils later in the evening, the Knicks and Kings shot the short straw and woke early in the morning.
With a rush hour at noon (Eastern time), the Kings really looked like a sleepwalking first quarter team. But they woke up over the next three quarters and began a four-game road trip with a 102-94 victory over the Knicks.
Sacramento played with a lot of energy but failed to get the ball through the basket. In the first 12 minutes of play, the Kings shot only 8 out of 28 (28.6%) and 3 out of 10 at long range.
"We had the shots we wanted, we had a lot of shots in the first quarter. Sometimes the ball simply does not fit in, "Kings De'Aaron Fox goalkeeper New York told reporters after the victory.
The Kings lost up to 15 in the quarter, but Fox and Nemanja Bjelica prevented the start of the game.
"We did not shoot, but we looked good and they probably have the same feeling, but I felt like we were trying," said Kings coach Dave Joerger.
Slowly, kings began to wake up as the game continued. Harrison Barnes started arriving at the free throw line and Willie Cauley-Stein spoke out loud. But in the first half, Buddy Hield, the Kings' top scorer, was cold as ice.
Hield finished the first period with four points on two shots out of 12, and missed all five shots from far.
"I always tell him, keep shooting," said Fox. "He will probably continue to shoot anyway, but just to let him know that we still trust him. There are not too many games where Buddy is off for the whole game. "
Although the team only shot 32% of the field in the first half, the Kings led 48-46 before the break.
Sacramento looked like a different team in the third quarter. Hield caught fire from the perimeter, hitting 4 of 6 long-range players to finish the quarter with 14 of his 19 points in total.
Fox also continued to shine, scoring five points and distributing six assists in the third to help the Kings team advance to 80-68 before the last 12 minutes.
But Joerger turned to the second unit to start the fourth and the advance instantly evaporated. The Kings coach was forced to turn around to end a match that should not have been so close.
Where Hield was brilliant in the third, Fox was in another league in the last seven minutes. The quick playmaker regularly reached his favorite spot on the floor and charged the Knicks.
"We're going to what works, and at that point, I was the guy who scored, so we kept going," Fox said.
[RELATED:[RELATED:[ENRELATION:[RELATED:Hield continues to improve during the low season]
Fox scored 12 points on one end on a perfect shot on 5 of the field. He nearly equaled his career record by scoring points, finishing with 30 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 37 minutes of action.
"He's ultra competitive, man, he's taking a challenge," Joerger said of Fox after the match.
It was not good, but the Kings got the victory they needed. They improved to 33-32 over the season and are now trailing behind the San Antonio Spurs for eighth place in the 3.5-game Western Conference playoffs with 17 games to play.
"It's always good to start a road trip with a win," said Fox, Grant Napear and Doug Christie of NBC Sports California at the end of the match. "We knew we needed this win. We need all the gains. "
.@swipathefox dropped a peak of 30 points and then sat down with @GrantNapearshow And @TheDougChristie ?? pic.twitter.com/By2CFhzs4x
– Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 9, 2019
The Kings have Sunday before facing the Washington Wizards Monday night at Capital One Arena. This is another must match for the Kings, who are trying to chase the Spurs.
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