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With just over six seconds left in Sacramento’s preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, Kyle Guy got the ball off an inbounds pass. His Kings squad was down by two and needing a bucket to try and salvage a win in a game that they once led by 19. Guy nearly collided with his teammate at the top of the arc, but spun free and lost his defender in the process. After a perfectly executed pump fake that got the help defender off his feet, Guy canned the game-winning shot as time expired.
Check it out:
KYLE GUY CALLED GAME pic.twitter.com/D7hkrsATOI
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 16, 2020
Guy was fabulous all night, finishing with 20 points in 21 minutes on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting night. He was hot from three, hitting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. His threes came in various situations, including a sharp one in transition and one that took advantage of his defender leaving him just enough space.
One of his most underrated plays of the game, however, came with the Kings down four with 29.8 seconds left on the clock. Needing a bucket, Guy got the ball from a teammate on the outside. With defenders closing, he drove towards the free throw line. It looked like he was going to attempt a tough shot, but, after a ball fake that got his defender to leave his feet, Guy found Robert Woodard for an easy dunk that halved Sacramento’s deficit.
You can see it (and a lot of his other amazing plays) here:
' @kylejguy shot lights out tonight. See his best, including that last play ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5cn3wtNr8U
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 16, 2020
This is the second straight game that the sophomore two-way player has led the Kings in scoring. Against Portland on December 13, Guy scored 14 points on 4-for-8 shooting. His back-to-back performances have not gone unnoticed. “What he’s doing is building confidence in his teammates and coaches as far as trusting him,” Kings coach Luke Walton said after the game.
Walton on @kylejguy ♂️ ♂️ ♂️ pic.twitter.com/AUEiLBzjIm
— Locker Room Access (@LockerRoomInc) December 16, 2020
Don’t get too excited that this preseason success will lead to increased playing time when the season starts, however.
“As far as the regular season is concerned, if we’re fully healthy, there’s probably not a lot of minutes every night for him,” Walton stated. “If we’re having an off-night or guys are out, then he’s somebody that we can throw in there and count on.”
Last season with the Stockton Kings — the Kings’ G-League team — Guy averaged 21.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game in 37 games played. He shot 40.1% from three for the season and spent the offseason working on his game.
Not sure how the Kings will justify keeping a guy (no pun intended) that is 9-for-18 from three through three games and shooting 50% from the field, but right now it looks like the Kings will utilize him as a full two-way player.
Guy and the Kings will be back on the court against the Warriors again on Thursday, December 17. Until then, we’re going to watch highlights of our Guy.
Kyle. Guy. @kylejguy. Game. Winner. @SacramentoKings ⚔️ #GoHoos #NBAHoos pic.twitter.com/AYWr8JZw1d
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) December 16, 2020