Kings score season-high, beat Outlaws

By ECS Staff
Updated: December 23, 2019

2019 SAN DIEGO KINGS BASKETBALL

KINGS 149, OUTLAWS 133

By Damon Sloan

Special to EastCountySports.com

EL CAJON – The San Diego Kings scored a season-high in points as they sweep the season series with the Phoenix Outlaws, 149-133, on Saturday.

The performance really showed how exciting the Kings are at home, nailing 17 threes for the game. They also dished out a season-high 30 assists and were able to get to the free-throw line 24 times, making 22 of them in the process.

Manny Perez had a massive game, dropping 30 points, six rebounds, three assists and recorded two blocks while making five three-pointers in the contest. He really got his jumper going in the third, scoring 15 points and hitting three three-pointers.

He got the whole El Cajon Valley gum singing his “Puerto Rico” anthem, a theme song that the DJ plays after Perez gets a bucket.

Deonte Jones finished the night one-point shy of 30 with 29 points and three steals in 29 minutes of action. He was also able to knock down five threes in the game, with three of them in the first quarter and he helped the Kings jumpstart their offense in the beginning stages of the game.

“I just stayed confident like I always do and just take what the defense gives me,” Jones explained. “The guys just told me to keep shooting and coach (Davion Famber) was giving me the green light, we use a lot of pin downs to get guys open for shots and it was my night, so they kept going to me.”

When asked about the season-high in points as a team, Jones explained that nights like is what makes the Kings an exciting team to watch.

“We just played together on the offensive end for 48 minutes,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to do this entire season. We know we can score with anybody and when we just play within ourselves, we are tough to beat. I’m loving the way we are playing.”

As usual, the Kings were able to start the game hot, commanding a 23-10 lead in the early in the first.

Jones continued his hot shooting stroke at home scoring 13 of his 29 points in the first quarter. Jones credited his scoring effort to his coaches for giving him the green light and his teammates for finding him early in the game.

Marcus Bell helped the Kings separate in the first with great passing from the post, getting two assists to Julian Sampah inside for layups.

The Kings’ full-court pressure forced the Outlaws to take rushed shots which led to transition layups on offense to put the Kings up 37-22 at the end of the first quarter.

The Kings once again got great production from their bench in this game, particularly from James Hancock, who was a force in the paint and on the boards for the Kings.

Hancock and Bell both combined for 32 points and 26 rebounds between them and they were both anchors on the defensive end.

In the second quarter, the Kings began to open their lead by continuing to force a turnover and take care of the ball themselves on the offensive end.

Ray Williams ran the show tonight for the Kings, dishing out 12 assists and setting the table for his teammates to eat.

Julian Sampah played a great two-way game as he finished with 14 points and sent four shots away from the rim. Once he was able to get his first jumper late in the second, he started to find his rhythm. He capped his night off with a breakaway steal that turned into a one-handed flush that got the Kings crowd hyped.

Two New Kings made their debuts tonight in Spencer Mattox and B.J Mathews.

Mattox was able to make an impact with his hustle and ball-handling ability. He helped Williams facilitate the offense and finished the night with eight points and four assists.

Mathews showed that he can be instant offense for the Kings off the bench. He sank back-to-back threes in the first and looked very comfortable in the Kings’ offense.

Famber said he was happy but not surprised by Mattox’s effort on the floor tonight.

“BJ Mathews and Spencer Mattox can play,” Famber said. “They’re professionals and they come in and work hard every day. The guys have embraced them and they are fitting in smoothly. The sky’s the limit for how good they can be with our squad this year.

The Kings also got big help from LJ Kimbrough, who had his best game offensively finishing with 11 points and six rebounds. He was able to get some great offensive putbacks off rebounds and ran the lanes in transition finishing at the rim strong.

Alec Calloway and Yuriy Kozhanov were both able to add five points apiece, playing solid perimeter defense and getting after every loose ball. They were both able to space the floor and make threes to add to the 17 total for the Kings.

The Kings led by as many as 31 points in the third.

Famber was able to space his minutes and every active player on the Kings roster scored and made an impact on the game.

Even though the Outlaws battled back in the fourth quarter, cutting that 31-point lead to nine with 4:27 left to go in the fourth but they were unable to close the gap further as the Kings continued to get buckets at will. Their 16-point win was capped off with a two-hand alley-oop from Williams to Bell.

San Diego (6-3) is now on a two-game winning streak and will look to make it a trifecta of dubs as they go on the road next Saturday to take on the Seven City Knights, of Arizona.

The Kinga will be back home next year in 2020 on Jan. 4 when they host Team Trouble from Stockton. Tickets go on sale today, make sure you visit the link below to get $5 of your ticket prices for a regular or courtside seat.

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