Buddy Hield Tips In Game-Winner at the Buzzer in Kings' Win Over Nuggets

In a back-and-forth game that went into overtime, the Kings came up with a big defensive stop and buzzer-beater to shock the Nuggets on opening night.

With just over six seconds left in overtime in a tie game, it seemed like the Kings' best-case scenario was to force a second extra period.

The Nuggets inbounded the ball to Nikola Jokic above the 3-point line. Jokic had the ball poked away by Harrison Barnes, which started a fast-break and a race against the clock. Barnes tried to put Sacramento ahead with a dunk but missed, but Buddy Hield was there for a tip-in follow-up at the buzzer as the Kings pulled out a wild season-opening win.

That Sacramento was even in a tie game heading into the final possession was a minor miracle. The Nuggets led, 122-120, with the ball and 11 seconds left in the game when Will Barton had a clean look at a layup. But his attempt was blocked from behind by a hustling De'Aaron Fox, leading to a fast-break going the other way to tie the game.

The game was back-and-forth the whole night, with several lead changes down the stretch. Seven Kings players scored in double figures, led by Hield, who had 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting and 5-for-11 on 3-point attempts. Barnes finished the game with 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.

It was a monster 2020-21 debut for Jokic, who recorded his 42nd career triple-double. He finished with 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting, with 15 rebounds, 14 assists and three blocks. Michael Porter Jr. was second on the team with 24 points and had five rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks.


Published
Nick Selbe
NICK SELBE

Nick Selbe is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about baseball and college sports. Before joining SI in March 2020 as a breaking/trending news writer, he worked for MLB Advanced Media, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. Selbe received a bachelor's in communication from the University of Southern California.