Buddy Hield celebrated his 25th birthday by coming out on fire.
He made six of his first seven shots, including his first four 3-pointers, while scoring 16 of the Kings’ first 17 points before missing his final shot of the opening period.
His teammates weren’t nearly as hot. The rest of the Kings shot just 3 of 16 in the first quarter as eight Minnesota Timberwolves players scored en route to a 38-23 lead and an eventual 132-105 victory Monday night at Target Center.
By then, coach Dave Joerger already decided to save his players for the next game.