The Miami Heat tried to get into a track meet with the Sacramento Kings on Monday night and were burned.
Despite a dominating rebounding effort from Hassan Whiteside, the Heat looked gassed early, and the Kings ran them off the court for a 123-113 win in Miami.
Sacramento shook off a slow start and then caught fire in the third quarter. The Kings scored 43 points to take an 11-point lead heading to the fourth. Miami made a run, but Sacramento throttled down and closed it out.
Four of the Kings' five starters scored in double figures, led by big nights from Willie Cauley-Stein and Buddy Hield.
Here are three takeaways as the Kings picked up their third consecutive win and, at 4-3, moved to one game over .500 on the season.
Willie Cauley-Stein hangs with the big boys
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Every night is a new adventure for Cauley-Stein. He has faced Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis, Steven Adams, Nikola Jokic and now Hassan Whiteside in the first seven games of the season.
Cauley-Stein was crushed on the glass by Whiteside for 24 rebounds, but he found a way to do damage on the other end. The fourth-year big posted a 26-point, 13-rebound performance in 34 minutes.
Buddy Buckets
Hield loves the Kings' uptempo style, and against the Heat, he was hot from the outside, dropping 4 of 6 3-pointers en route to 23 points. He made a few mistakes with the ball, but he grabbed eight rebounds and handed out five assists in the team's big road win.
Nemanja Bjelica is manna from heaven
After dropping in 26 points and 12 rebounds Friday against the Wizards, the Serbian forward was back at it again in Miami. He didn't notch a third consecutive double-double, but he still managed 19 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Bjelica is the calming influence the Kings need on the floor when things start to get out of control.
