It went down to the wire in Sacramento, with the Kings hanging on to edge the Philadelphia 76ers 115-108 at the Golden 1 Center, their sixth-straight win at home.
The 76ers trailed for most of the game, clawing their way back into the contest to take a 98-97 lead with 4:30 remaining in the fourth, before some big buckets from Willie Cauley-Stein, Marvin Bagley III and Buddy Hield put the game away.
Hield had the hot hand all night, finishing with 34 points, six rebounds and three assists, shooting 12-of-21 from the field, knocking down a career-high seven three-pointers, including two clutch triples down the stretch.
Buddy Hield (34 PTS, 7 3PM) led the charge for the @SacramentoKings in their big win over the Sixers! 👑#SacramentoProud pic.twitter.com/lAZCHX1WEb
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 3, 2019
Hield got it going early, scoring 15 points in the first quarter as the Kings took a 28-15 lead, leading for the majority of the game, until the 76ers came to life down the stretch.
With the game in the balance, Jimmy Butler did his best to get the 76ers over the line, scoring 18 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, coming up with a big-time four-point play to nudge the 76ers in front.
Ben Simmons picked up where he left off in their previous game against the Warriors, attacking the rim with confidence, throwing down dunk after dunk as the Kings struggled to keep him out of the paint. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists on the night, while Joel Embiid poured in 29 points and 17 rebounds.
Ben Simmons rocks the rim in Sacramento 🔨🔨 #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/yOj7zbRPZH
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) February 3, 2019
With Wilson Chandler injured and JJ Redick rested, the 76ers couldn't get it going from the perimeter, shooting just 7-of-33 from deep. Mike Muscala and rookie Landry Shamet were inserted into the starting lineup, but combined to shoot just 4-of-14 from the field as Philly struggled to get much offence beyond their Big 3.
For the Kings, De’Aaron Fox added 19 points and eight assists, while Willie Cauley-Stein chipped in 19 points and nine rebounds. Marvin Bagley III finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, his eighth double-double of the season.