The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE breakout season for Buddy Hield continues as he added another milestone to his résumé with his first buzzer-beating game-winner of his NBA career.

Hield’s game-winning three-pointer to give the Sacramento Kings a 103-101 win over the Detroit Pistons Saturday night at the Little Ceasar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan is already being dubbed “The Motown Miracle.”

Trailing by two with 3.4 seconds left to play, Hield bobbled the inbounds pass, but recovered and split a trio of Pistons defenders to drain an off-balanced fadeaway game-winning three off his left foot as time expired.

He finished with 35 points and nine rebounds, both team highs. He shot 13-33 from the field and a blistering 7-9 from beyond the three-point arc.

“All glory to God, he’s been blessing me in so much ways so, all the glory goes to him, I have to acknowledge him. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be in a position to make that shot. You never know how the next game is going to go but I’m blessed to say I got one in the NBA at the highest level,” Hield said.

“It’s fun, as a kid you always dream about hitting one of those types of shots, especially at a high level like this and it’s something I will cherish the rest of my life. I hope I have many more to come.”

It was a play that nearly didn’t happen as the Pistons’ defence attempted to trap Hield, who was on fire down the stretch and scored 15 of his team’s final 17 points. “I saw Willie [Cauley-Stein] was wide open, I tried to catch and turn and get it to him, but I kind of slipped I was able to regain it, I was able to split the guys and put it up in the air. That’s all she wrote after that,” Hield said. “If I didn’t catch that ball Dave [Joerger] would have been mad. I had to execute the play and make something happen.”

After the made three, Hield raced around the perimeter of the floor, including a photo that has now gone viral on social media when he hurdled a cable laid out by the television production crew.

“I saw Fox push me and I said I’m not going to let y’all tumble over me and I just started running away from everyone as quick as possible. It was a fun moment. These guys have been supporting me all year. We really support each other. Bogi [Bogdan Bogdonavic] had a game-winner, it was the same feeling when I had a game winner and it’s a memorable moment you can’t forget. It’s been a fun year, this a fun group, we just have to keep on rolling,” Hield said. “That lady almost tripped me, I think she was trying to trip me because she knows what was going on, thank God for my track record, but I was able to hurdle it and make it over.”

Hield came out hot and scored 20 in the first half but the Kings trailed 57-51 at the break. He was held scoreless in the third quarter but responded with 15 points in the fourth to help the Kings outscore the Pistons by 10. His three with 1:11 left to play gave the Kings the lead for the first time since the first quarter.

“We were trapping him because we knew he couldn’t make another play with 3.4 seconds,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “We had three guys there. You have to be shoulder to shoulder, but he got between two guys, saw some daylight and threw one up there.”

The Kings won the season series 2-0 after a 112-102 win on January 11 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Hield scored 18 in that contest.

In 46 games this season, Hield is averaging a team-leading 20.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He is also shooting efficiently at 48 per cent from the field and 46 per cent from three-point range.

Hield credits fellow Oklahoma Sooner and Pistons All-Star forward Blake Griffin as an inspiration and role model, particularly during the last offseason.

“Blake is special. What he’s been doing the past few years for Oklahoma basketball, its been a great job. He’s one of the guys I look up to as a big brother,” Hield said. “At the beginning of the year, this summer when we worked out he said he thought I was good enough to be someone special in this league. After that text I really regrouped myself and I was able to focus and lock-in. He said ‘you’re better than you’re showing, you’re going to be one of the guys to lead your team and he’s always been one of those guys that gave me confidence.”

The Kings return to the court this afternoon when they face the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.