The Kings went on to beat the Raptors... in Tampa. This season, the Raptors were relocated to Tampa, Florida, to avoid teams going to another country. But playing 2,000 kilometers from Ontario is unreasonable for so-called home games. Harrison Barnes scored 26 points, De'Aaron Fox added 24, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 126-124 for their third straight victory.
This is one of the few games where Hector does not perform a double-double. With 10 points and 6 rebounds, the problem is that he was prone to fouls today. The Kings had a comfortable lead before Hector's exit, but he was ejected midway through the final quarter. The Kings managed to hold the lead.
Also, after playing the "local" Raptors after the Magic in Florida, it's time to challenge the last Florida team. The Kings will face the Miami Heat the day after the win over the Raptors.
Fox will deliver a great game, but Jimmy Butler, back tonight, will answer him. Both players scored 30 points; Adebayo and Hector will also do the job: 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists for Adebayo. Hector finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. He almost recorded the first triple-double of his career. But Adebayo sealed the Heat's victory with a last-second block on Bjelica. Miami wins 104-105.
The last finalists had started the season poorly and remained on five losses before facing the Kings.
After the defeat comes a four-game winning streak, De'Aaron Fox will be unplayable this week. First, against the Pelicans, he scored 38 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 118-108 victory. Hector will also make an excellent series this week. He finished the game with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Then, the Kings beat the Boston Celtics 111-116 back in Sacramento. Hector will finally record his first career triple-double of 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. He perfectly accompanied Fox, who scored 34 points and made 10 assists.
The Kings will follow up with a win over the Nuggets. Jokic is too strong and heading straight for the MVP award this season. Despite his mammoth performance, the Nuggets lost that game. But with 50 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists, and 3 blocks, there was nothing to do against himself if Hector did not have a bad game. Far from it, he will make his second career five-by-five with 15 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 steals, and 5 blocks.
Jokic and Hector get along very well and trash talk in Serbian throughout the meeting in good humor and mutual respect. While Jokic called Hector weak because "he can't stop him," Hector replied: "Your teammates suck. They avoid me not to get their ass kicked and miss all their shots".
Hector's answer summed it up: Jokic was transcendent, but with no one around him, the Nuggets "logically" lost to the Kings. Fox is still on fire, with 37 points this time. When Hector focuses on playmaking, Fox can do scoring. His shot is always irregular, but he is an excellent finisher in drive. Barnes contributed 28 points.
And conclude this winning streak against the Clippers in Los Angeles 113-110. Fox scored 38 points and 7 assists this time. Hector finished with 10 points while shooting awkwardly but 22 rebounds and 6 assists. Kawhi Leonard will end in a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Lou Williams off the bench will score 23 points, but they can only do some things.
De'Aaron Fox will finish player of the week, and the Kings are, in positive results for the first time since the season's seventh game. The momentum is good, with 12 wins and 11 losses, and the fans are starting to regain hope. It must be said that the Kings played well, and Fox's shot came at the right time. Hector is also to be welcomed during this period.
But the Kings are still the Kings; the following games will remind us of that. We take the same ones and start again.