The Sacramento Kings have discovered a new shooter and closer, as the past G-League talent carried the fourth quarter scoring load over Dallas.
The Sacramento Kings are witnessing a sudden surprise star bloom in a gloomy season.
All the chatter about landing the top pick in the NBA Draft, the injuries and the dismal record took a back seat to Daeqwon Plowden. Especially on an evening when he closed the upset off for the Kings.
Plowden dropped 11 points in the fourth quarter to propel the Kings to the 130-121 stunner over the favored Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Once in the G-League earlier in the season, Plowden has stepped up as a sudden spark off the bench. And his scoring presence comes in the aftermath of the Keon Ellis/Dennis Schroeder trade, plus with top reserve Malik Monk out with an ailment.
What was the message sent to Plowden that got him so locked in? he shared it with NBC Sports California postgame.
"Be consistent. Go out there and do what we do -- throw the first punch and fight all night," Plowden said.
Still, he's become more reflective of his journey from the G-League to becoming a sudden double-digit scoring presence for head coach Doug Christie and company.
"It's amazing. You know consistency goes a long way and there's a lot of ups and downs throughout the whole game. But continuing to have faith, as you see now, it's all showing," Plowden said.
He even had teammate Dylan Cardwell crash his interview -- even playfully waving a towel at Plowden to "cool off" his hot shooting streak he's on.
Still, Plowden is embracing getting on the stat sheet next to names like DeMar DeRozan, Maxime Raynaud and others.
"Just making sure I'm at the right spot at the right time. I know we have some great playmakers on our team that are going to continue to drive, get to the paint and spread the ball around. [It's about] just being at the right place at the right time," Plowden said.
He's fully embraced the climb he's been on.
"It's a lot of ups and downs throughout this journey. But got to have a strong circle and be mentally strong. God keeps me where I need to be and it all worked out," he said.
Plowden nailed all seven of his field goals It's now the second time in three days Plowden scored 19 points.
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