Sunday Musings: Familiar faces set to visit Kings, Neemias Queta thriving

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The schedule never lets up.

After a brutal road trip that included three games in four nights surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday, the Kings are back in Sacramento looking to extend their six-game home win streak.

Currently sitting at 10-8, the Kings are fifth in the Western Conference standings. There are just three and a half games separating positions 1-11 in the West.

The slate this week doesn’t get any easier for the Kings. They host the first place Phoenix Suns on Monday night, followed by the red hot Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

This is the first opportunity for Kings fans to welcome Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield back to Golden 1 Center after a midseason trade last season sent them to Indy. It is also the first time that Domantas Sabonis will go against the club that he called home for four and a half seasons.

In his third NBA season, Haliburton is currently leading the league in assists at 11.1 per game. He showed this potential during his time in Sacramento, but general manager Monte McNair saw a potential fit issue next to De’Aaron Fox long term and he jumped at the opportunity to land a two-time All-Star in Sabonis.

Hield is also playing well for the Pacers. The 29-year-old is currently third in the league in 3-point makes and he’s shooting a solid 38.8 percent from deep on 9.9 attempts per game.

Haliburton has been vocal about his trade from Sacramento. Hield, who is known to be chatty, has not really gone on record after his five seasons with the Kings. Both players are having tremendous seasons with their new team and they’ve formed a very good starting backcourt under coach Rick Carlisle.

How will this duo be received by the Golden 1 Center crowd? Will they get the same treatment that Marvin Bagley received last week when he was booed every time he touched the ball? Or will Kings fans show appreciation for the time both players spent with the team?

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