SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Matt Barnes’ rib ached so badly that the Sacramento Kings forward said breathing and sleeping present problems, never mind the rigors of bringing energy and spirit to an NBA franchise 10 years removed from the playoffs.
But he didn’t hurt too much to make the leap and the stretch Saturday that tilted a back-and-forth game in Sacramento’s favor.
Barnes’ block of a follow attempt by Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns and the subsequent 3-pointer it set up for Kings teammate Ty Lawson proved the key sequence in Sacramento’s 106-103 victory at Golden 1 Center, the team’s first regular-season victory inside its new home.
“Matt is Matt,” Kings forward Rudy Gay said. “He does everything. He’s a warrior for this team.”
Gay finished with 28 points and center DeMarcus Cousins scored 29 as the Kings beat Minnesota for the first time since 2015 despite trailing by 18 points early in the second quarter and squandering a nine-point lead in the fourth.
“It’s about being resilient,” Barnes said. “This is a game of runs, and in the past, this team would take a hit and kind of hang its head. But you have to keep fighting.”
It was 100-100 when Gay hit a wing jumper for the Kings with 2:57 to go after a near turnover. Towns then rebounded guard Zach LaVine’s miss and drove the lane and pulled up. But Barnes went up with him, reached high and rejected the shot.
Lawson buried a left-wing 3-pointer on the next trip down the court for a 105-100 lead, and the Timberwolves couldn’t recover.
Barnes’ heroics came after his defense sparked Sacramento in the third quarter. The Kings, seemingly aroused by Barnes’ energy, scored 17 straight points en route to a 24-1 third-quarter run that turned a 71-57 deficit at halftime into an 85-77 lead when the fourth quarter started.
“Third quarter, abomination,” Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Fourth quarter, we tried to scramble back.”
The Kings build their lead to 96-87 late in the fourth quarter, but Minnesota rallied to tie it with nine straight points. They then exchanged two buckets apiece, setting the stage for Barnes’ block.
Sacramento 106, Minnesota 103
Minnesota 34 31 12 26 - 103
Sacramento 25 29 31 21 - 106
MINNESOTA (103)
Towns 7-13 0-2 15, Wiggins 10-19 8-11 29, LaVine 7-14 4-4 21, Dieng 5-9 4-4 14, Rubio 2-4 1-1 5, Dunn 1-2 1-4 4, Bjelica 0-4 1-2 1, Aldrich 0-0 0-0 0, Rush 2-3 0-0 5, Muhammad 3-4 3-3 9. Totals 37-72 22-31 103.
SACRAMENTO (106)
Lawson 3-10 0-0 8, Gay 11-20 6-8 28, Cousins 9-16 11-14 29, Afflalo 2-6 0-0 5, Koufos 2-5 0-0 4, M.Barnes 4-10 1-2 12, McLemore 5-10 1-1 13, Temple 1-3 0-0 3, Tolliver 0-1 0-0 0, Casspi 0-1 0-0 0, Cauley-Stein 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 39-85 19-25 106.
3-Point Goals: Minnesota 7-22 (LaVine 3-7, Dunn 1-1, Rush 1-2, Towns 1-3, Wiggins 1-4, Dieng 0-1, Rubio 0-1, Bjelica 0-3), Sacramento 9-26 (M.Barnes 3-6, McLemore 2-4, Lawson 2-5, Temple 1-3, Afflalo 1-4, Casspi 0-1, Tolliver 0-1, Cousins 0-2). Fouled out: Cousins. Rebounds: Minnesota 47 (Dieng 13), Sacramento 49 (Koufos 8). Assists: Minnesota 19 (Rubio 5), Sacramento 24 (M.Barnes 9). Total Fouls: Minnesota 25 (Towns 5), Sacramento 24 (Cousins 6). A-17,608.
