NBA in-season tournament: Kings take down Timberwolves to strengthen lead in West Group C
The Kings overcame injuries and fatigue at the end of an arduous six-game road trip to take down the top team in the Western Conference in a pivotal NBA Cup in-season tournament game.
De’Aaron Fox had 36 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Kings to a 124-111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Kings improved to 3-0 in West Group C while the Timberwolves fell to 2-1 with one game remaining in the group stage. The winner of each group and one wild card team from each conference will advance to the knockout stage with a chance to reach the Final Four Dec. 7-9 in Las Vegas.
Harrison Barnes had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting for the Kings (9-6), who rebounded from back-to-back losses to the New Orleans Pelicans to finish the road trip with a 4-2 record. Malik Monk came off the bench to score 17 points. Domantas Sabonis had 15 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocked shots.
“The New Orleans trip, we had two uncharacteristic games for ourselves, so just to bounce back, finish out the road trip and get back home with a win was big,” Barnes told reporters in Minneapolis.
Anthony Edwards had 35 points and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves (11-4), who had won three in a row and 10 of their last 11. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Kings outrebounded the bigger Timberwolves 46-44 with a 14-10 advantage in offensive rebounds.
“We scored 26 second-chance points versus a big team,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “Our guys crashed. They crashed with a purpose and we were able to convert those offensive rebounds into points.”
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch talked about the problems the Kings cause when asked about his team’s defense and rebounding.
“The first part was pushing us out in transition, couldn’t get set, and they got into our paint, which allowed for kickouts and uncontested looks early,” Finch said. “Once they got hot, they’re hard to contain after that. Just a lot of loose defense early.”
As for rebounding, Finch said: “When you’re in scramble mode, it’s hard to rebound. A lot of teams are getting to the paint early. That’s been happening a lot at the beginning of games. We need to have more urgency getting back there and getting set against a team that really likes to score, you know? It’s all part of the same thing. When you’re behind the play from the beginning, you’re usually behind the play at the end.”
The Kings went 13 of 21 from the field and 8 of 12 from 3-point range over the first nine minutes to jump out to a 34-22 lead, showing tremendous energy for a team at the end of an 11-day road trip. The Kings were up 38-31 at the end of the first quarter and quickly pushed the lead back to double digits in the second with Monk scoring 11 points in his first four minutes of action.
The Kings went up by 22 points on a dunk by Monk, but the Timberwolves responded with a 13-0 run to get within nine. Minnesota capitalized on a 17-2 advantage in first-half free-throw attempts to cut the deficit to six at the halftime break.
The Timberwolves got within two early in the third period, but a three-point play and a 3-pointer from Fox fueled a 13-2 run that put the Kings up 85-72. Sacramento outscored Minnesota 22-15 in the third and carried an 82-79 lead into the fourth.
Fox credited his team’s hot start and strong finish for an impressive win.
“It was big for us,” Fox said. “I mean, we’ve struggled against this team in the past, and being able to come out and our offense clicking on all cylinders, I think, was definitely huge for us in this game. I think, defensively, what we did in the second half is what ultimately won us this game.”
The Timberwolves cut the deficit to 10 on a 3-pointer by Towns with 2:59 to play, but they couldn’t get any closer until the outcome had been decided.
“I think we just came out ready to play,” Kings forward Trey Lyles told NBC Sports California. “I think we had two lackadaisical games in New Orleans. We went to the drawing board. We watched film. We held each other accountable and we came out, we played hard and we played together. I think when we do that, we play together as a team, we share the ball offensively and we get stops defensively, it’s going to be hard to beat us.”
West Group C standings
Kings 3-0 (+29)
Warriors 2-1 (5)
Timberwolves 2-1 (-3)
Thunder 1-2 (+27)
Spurs 0-4 (-58)
Injury updates
▪ Kings forward Keegan Murray was ruled out for the second game in a row due to lower back soreness. Chris Duarte started again with Murray out of the lineup.
▪ Kings guard Keon Ellis missed his third game with a left ankle sprain.
▪ Kings center Alex Len missed his sixth game with a right ankle sprain. Len is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.
Up next
The Kings will open a three-game homestand and conclude group play in the in-season tournament when they play host to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
If the Kings beat the Warriors, they will win West Group C and advance to the knockout round. If the Warriors beat the Kings and the Timberwolves lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors will advance. If Golden State and Minnesota both win, the Kings, Warriors and Timberwolves will be tied at 3-1. In the event of a three-way tie, the group winner will be determined by point differential.
The Warriors had lost seven of eight prior to Friday’s win over the San Antonio Spurs. Draymond Green is expected to return Tuesday after serving a five-game suspension for putting Gobert in a chokehold.
Upcoming schedule
Nov. 28 vs. Golden State Warriors
Nov. 29 vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Dec. 2 vs. Denver Nuggets
Dec. 11 vs. Brooklyn Nets
Dec. 12 at Los Angeles Clippers
