Kings storm back from large deficits, stun Denver in OT
Harrison Barnes stayed steady and Buddy Hield got hot, helping the Kings storm back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 100-97 in overtime Saturday at Golden 1 Center.
Barnes scored a season-high 30 points for the Kings (8-10), who debuted their red City Edition uniforms in front of a raucous matinee crowd. Hield finished with 21 points and seven rebounds after being held to two points in the first half.
Gary Harris scored 23 points to lead the Nuggets (13-4), who had won six in a row.
Harris went off for 18 points in the first quarter, surpassing his previous season high of 17 points in a 101-94 victory over the Kings on Oct. 28. Harris made 6 of 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc in the opening period, outscoring the Kings 18-11 over the first 9:17.
Denver went up by 15 on a 3-pointer by Harris later in the first quarter and carried a 57-40 lead into the locker room at the halftime break. The Nuggets shot 51.2 percent from the field and made 9 of 16 from 3-point range in the first half. The Kings shot just 32.6 percent and made 2 of 13 from beyond the arc in the first half.
Sacramento gradually cut into Denver’s lead in the second half. The Kings got within 10 on Hield’s first 3-pointer of the game with 9:13 to play in the third quarter. They cut the deficit to six on a three-point play by Barnes and got within three on a resounding putback dunk by Richaun Holmes with 3:28 to go in the third.
The Nuggets reestablished a double-digit lead early in the fourth. They were up by 14 with 7:59 remaining, but the Kings staged a 19-5 run to tie the game on a layup by Hield with 22.9 seconds left. Cory Joseph locked up Jamal Murray on the final possession of regulation and Holmes came over to block Murray’s shot from behind as time expired.
The Kings took their first lead of the game when Barnes scored to start the overtime session.