LaVine delivers first signature Kings game in rout of Hornets

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LaVine delivers first signature Kings game in rout of Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – As teammates for nearly three seasons with the Chicago Bulls, DeMar DeRozan was witness to some of Zach LaVine’s best games in the NBA. He just hadn’t seen LaVine really get down in a Kings uniform.

Until now.

In his eighth game since being acquired as part of a multi-team trade, LaVine broke loose for a season-high 42 points as Sacramento handed out a 130-88 beatdown to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.

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“I was just waiting. It took long enough,” DeRozan joked as he sat next to LaVine during their postgame press conference. “I kept telling him the whole game, ‘Just shoot it.’ That’s the outcome. Nothing new for me.”

LaVine absolutely shot it, to the tune of 19 attempts – his second-most since the trade. The two-time NBA All-Star connected on 16 of them, including eight from distance, on a night when the entire Kings’ offense operated in smooth, methodical fashion.

“For me everything is just timing, rhythm and comfortability,” LaVine said. “Deebo’s been telling me to be yourself for the longest. Obviously I’m coming in trying to figure out where I’m at, what to do. But the more I get familiar, I’m starting to get it.”

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Sacramento had lost its previous two games and dropped into the Western Conference’s final NBA play-in tournament position before LaVine’s breakout night.

LaVine was all over the Hornets in every way.

Despite a woeful 14-42 record, Charlotte has been playing its best defense over the past two months and was ninth in the NBA for defensive efficiency since Christmas until LaVine broke their spirit.

Kings interim coach Doug Christie didn’t seem too surprised. He had noticed that LaVine had been focused on trying to blend in with the new system rather than just letting his own flow.

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“I’ve known Zach and the way that he plays and what he’s capable of,” Christie said. “To his credit, I thought that he’s been trying to fit in. We need him to be himself so that we can figure out…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/lavine-delivers-first-signature-kings-231335055.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-02-24 23:13:00

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