Alexander Vezenkov came off the bench and helped the Sacramento pull off an impressive 124-123 comeback against Golden State. In this way, the Kings qualified for the quarterfinals of the new NBA In-Season tournament. The Bulgarian appeared on the floor only at the end of the third quarter, but played his strongest minutes in the League.
Mike Brown's team overcame a 24-point deficit en route to victory. Malik Monk's game-winning basket with seven seconds left left them undefeated in Group "C" play and they head into the playoffs with a 4-0 record. In the next phase of the tournament, Sacramento will face the New Orleans Pelicans.
Vezenkov played a quarter of an hour in the match, inspiring his team with 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 umbrellas and 1 assist. The winger entered the field for the first time with 3:29 left in the third quarter. Then the score was 80:95 for Golden State, and led by the magnificent Steph Curry, the visitors seemed to have the game firmly in their hands. Sasha quickly earned the trust of the coaching staff to stay until the end of the game after getting his team back into contention with five quick points for 101-107. Vezenkov also distinguished himself with a great defense.
At the beginning of the last part, the referees watched a video replay of a situation in which they initially awarded a technical foul to the Bulgarian for simulation, but then changed their decision and awarded only a foul in defense of Alexander Vezenkov. A little later, the native basketball player also made an umbrella for the megastar Steph Curry, and in the middle of the quarter, for Dario Saric. Sasha also fouled Curry's attack, which angered the superstar. And Sacramento and the fans just flew, even reaching a lead in the score at 114:113. The visitors turned it around again and even led by five points twice, but Malik Monk had the final say with the game's final five points to give the Kings the win.
De'Aaron Fox was the top scorer for Sacramento with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Kevin Hurter finished with 21 points, 9 steals and 5 assists, Malik Monk also had 21.
Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins led Golden State with 29 points and 10 rebounds each. Klay Thompson added 20 points.
Sacramento increases its balance for the season to 10 wins and 6 losses, occupying the sixth place in the provisional standings of the Western Conference. Golden State is in the eighth position with an asset of 8 successes and 10 defeats. As it is known, the matches of the In-Season tournament are also counted in the regular season, with the only exception being the final match for the trophy.
Brooklyn - Toronto - 115:103
Cleveland - Atlanta - 128:105
Miami - Milwaukee - 124:131
New York - Charlotte - 115:91
Minnesota - Oklahoma - 106:103. /BGNES
