The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Buddy Hield and the Sacramento Kings kept their chances for the NBA’s postseason play-in tournament alive with their fifth win in their last six games.

Just three games remain in the regular season and the Kings (31-38) trail the San Antonio Spurs (33-35) by 2.5 games for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

The Kings must win all three games to have an opportunity to advance while the Spurs need just one win to clinch a spot in the play-in tournament.

Hield finished with 21 points on 8-15 shooting from the field with six assists and three rebounds in Tuesday night’s 122-106 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.In six games this month, he has averaged 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 37.6 minutes per game and 43 percent shooting from three-point range.

During this stretch, Hield had his second double double of the season and a season high eight assists in back-to-back games.

“Buddy’s been great,” said Kings head coach Luke Walton. “He’s playing great basketball right now, he’s making the right plays. The amount of offence he’s creating for us by being a playmaker is so needed right now without Harrison [Barnes], De’Aaron [Fox] and Tyrese [haliburton] and as he’s doing that, which is what we need, he’s really improving his own game, just his all around game as a basketball player.

“He’s still getting his shots up but really playing some solid basketball for us.”

The Kings travel to Memphis for back-to-back games against the Grizzlies on Thursday and Friday.

The regular season schedule concludes on May 16 against the Utah Jazz.

“I’m really pleased with how our guys are continuing to fight. It’s all about building habits, building behaviours and being consistent with it. It’s good to see as the season is coming down to the last games that we’re doing it as a group,” Walton said.

“It’s an example of how important it is to play with the appropriate effort and togetherness which this group has been doing an amazing job of. It’s good for them to have a sluggish first half, turn it on, and come out with the win. The only way we are going to win games is with the total team with the amount of guys that we have out and they’ve done a great job of enjoying and embracing that.”

The NBA will feature an expanded play-in tournament for the first time in league history to determine the final two seeds in each conference. The play-in tournament will begin on May 18 and concludes on May 21.

The No. 7 seed will face the No. 8 seed in each conference. The winner of that game becomes the No. 7 seed in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The No. 9 seed faces the No. 10 seed in each conference. The loser of that game is eliminated from playoff contention and will be in the lottery. The loser of the 7-8 game then plays the winner of the 9-10 game for the No. 8 and final seed in the playoffs.

In addition to the playoff chase, Hield has now made 1,058 three-point field goals during his tenure with the Kings. He trails Peja Stojakovic by 13 for the franchise record of 1,070.

“It’s great. I don’t know if he knows, I certainly did not know,” Walton said. “Hopefully he’s not finding out right now and just tries to go out and break it now.”