Kings trio help top Heat with 3-point barrage

Riding accurate 3-point shooting and taking advantage of the absence of Miami's Jimmy Butler, the host Sacramento Kings pulled away late from the visiting Heat en route to a 105-97 victory on Friday night. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield and Nemanja Bjelica combined for 16 3-pointers, helping the Kings gain a 57-36 scoring advantage from beyond the arc in recording their second straight win.

Bogdanovic finished with 23 points, while Hield collected 21 points and a game-high-tying seven rebounds, helping the Kings avenge an earlier overtime loss at Miami to gain a split in the two-game season series. Bam Adebayo had a game-high 26 points and a game-high-tying seven rebounds for the Heat, who lost their second straight.

Miami was without Butler, who suffered a strained right shoulder in Wednesday's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the opener of a five-game trip. Heat coach Eric Spoelstra indicated before Friday's game that the MRI showed no significant damage, but that Butler might still be held out during the entire trip. Even without their star, the Heat led 68-67 after a Duncan Robinson 3-pointer with 6:40 remaining in the third quarter.

But Harry Giles III countered with a hoop that gave Sacramento the lead for good, after which Bjelica and Bogdanovic hit 3-pointers to create a seven-point advantage. The Kings were still up seven before opening the fourth period with a 15-8 run to create a comfortable lead. Hield, Cory Joseph and Bjelica hit 3-pointers in the run.

Bogdanovic finished 6-for-13 on 3s, while Hield went 5-for-13 and Bjelica 5-for-6. De'Aaron Fox totaled 16 points and eight assists for Sacramento, which improved to 2-1 on its four-game homestand. Bjelica finished with 15 points, all on threes, and Giles 10 for the Kings, who outshot the Heat 48.8 percent to 44.2

Robinson had 18 points and a team-high six assists for Miami, which played short-handed following two deals that produced three new players who were not in uniform in Sacramento. Kendrick Nunn added 16 points and Goran Dragic 14 for the Heat.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)