The news during the afternoon that Paul Westphal was relieved of his duties did not really come as a surprise with the way the Kings have played recently and the drama that has unfolded during the start of this season. What remained to be seen was how the team would react to Keith Smart as his replacement and whether or not they would play up to their potential...
The crowd seemed kind of apprehensive at the start of the game, but the Kings came out energized and, although still mistake prone, trailed 30-25 at the end of the 1st Quarter. Tyreke Evans had a strong start with 10 points.
Unfortunately the 2nd Quarter resembled the way things have gone in the Kings losses. Turnovers, missed shots, giving up easy baskets all lead to a 58-27 deficit that had the crowd mumbling about how things hadn't changed...
The 2nd Half started with the teams trading baskets and mistakes for awhile but the Kings gradually ate into the lead and were able to shave 7 points of the lead to trail by 14 going into the 4th.
The 4th Quarter was the most fun at PBP since the Laker game to start the season! The Kings moved the ball well, dominated on the boards and got huge games from Tyreke, Marcus Thornton, and Big Cuz. Jason Thompson was also huge on the boards! With 3:18 to go Marcus hit 2 free throws to bring the Kings within 4. Could they actually pull this one out after all the adversity and recent drama?
With Tyreke's 2 Free throws at the :18.1 mark the Kings led 101-100! After getting the ball back and Tyreke drawing another foul, his free throws put the Kings up 103-100 with 2,6 seconds left! A failed 3 point attempt by the Bucks and the Kings hang on for a much need victory!
I'm liking the start to the Keith Smart Era...
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