The Vlade Divac Armada Losing Streak Continues, Kings Fall Victims To Washington Wizards 130-122 In
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Sacramento, Calif. –The Sacramento Kings are now 1-7 seven since the DeMarcus Cousins trade on Feb. 20. The Kings are aslo on a seven-game losing slide with the 130-122 overtime loss to the Washington Wizards at Golden 1 Center on Friday night.
What the Kings (25-40 overall, 13-20 G1C) are trying to breakout of, while in the process of seeking a victory, is learning how to sustain leads. The San Antonio Spurs came back down from 28 points to beat the Kings on March 8 and the Wizards eradicated a 15-point deficit to pull out their 40th win of the season.
“We’re playing well as a team, competing and playing hard. But it doesn't help when you're missing shots down the stretch,” said Kings forward Arron Afflalo. “We’re maturing. But we got a lot of young guys and still learning how to win. The only way you're gonna learn is through tough lessons. Obviously, that's what we are going through right now.”
Sacramento Kings shooting guard Garrett Temple, left, shakes hands with his former Washington Wizards teammate John Wall at Golden 1 Center on March 10. Publicity Agents photo art by T. Ray Harvey.
Willie Cauley-Stein led the Kings with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists. Afflalo and Buddy Hield had 18 points each for the Kings. Darren Collison added 14 points, 10 assists, and two rebounds.
The Kings made 12 of 22 shots beyond the arc, which put the Wizards behind the eight-ball until put the stop on Sacramento perimeter shooting in the fourth quarter. The Kings only took two shots behind the arc, missing both of them.
“It works that way because the Kings are trying new lineups and trying to figure out what guys’ roles are going to be in this league,” said Wizards All-Star guard John Wall. “But we have to get away from this because when we play those good teams, we’re not going to find ways to come back so easily and make shots. We have to do a better job of that.”
Wall finished with 25 points, 12 assists, and two steals for the Wizards (40-24 overall, 14-15 road), who now owns the second spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. His sidekick, Bradley Beal quietly scored 38 points in the victory and he pulled down 10 rebounds.
“Bradley Beal? Was he an All-Star or did he get snub? He should've been an All-Star,” said Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger. “He and John are both All-Stars in my mind. They are a terrific duo. Certainly, John Wall and Bradley Bear are a tough combination.”
Buddy Hield had 18 points in the first half by making 7 of 10 shots from the floor, 4 of 6 beyond the 3-point line. Maybe feeling good about starting in a Kings uniform for the first time, Hield knocked down 13 points in the first quarter. The Kings lead 68-56 at the break, but Hield failed to score in the second half.
The Wizard started the fourth quarter down by 15 points, but battled back to tie the game 116-116 to end regulation. Washington outscored the Kings 34-19 in the fourth quarter and 14-6 in overtime. The Kings made two of eight shots in overtime.
Otto Porter Jr. had 18 points and six rebounds while Bojan Bogdanovic added 17 points and two rebounds off the bench for Washington. The Wizards have won six of their last seven games.
By T. Ray Harvey | PA Public Information Officer and Photographic Artist
Twitter: Tony Ray Harvey @PublicityAgents
T. Ray (Antonio) Harvey is a Public Information Officer and Photographic Artist for Publicity Agents. Harvey is also the author of The HOMICIDAL HANDYMAN OF OAK PARK: MORRIS SOLOMON JR.
