Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica drilled a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Houston Rockets in Houston.
The 6-foot-10 Serbian hit the long-range basket after catching the ball from an inbound pass, leading to the 119-118 triumph Monday at Toyota Center.
"I was feeling it," Bjelica said in his postgame interview. "There was like only one second to go and I was shooting that shot during my workout. So what can I say? Crazy shot. I think we deserved this win."
Sacramento trailed 118-116 at the start of the play. Kings guard Cory Joseph threw the ball in from the left sideline, feeding Bjelica as he stood about 30 feet from the rim. Bjelica caught the pass and immediately heaved a shot toward the basket, as the Rockets failed to close out on him defensively. The shot swished through the net as the final buzzer sounded, giving the Kings a dramatic victory.
Buddy Hield paced the Kings with 26 points. Bjelica had 17 points, five rebounds four assists and three steals in the win. Russell Westbrook had a game-high 34 points for the Rockets. James Harden had 27 points, 10 assists and four rebounds in the loss. P.J. Tucker had 10 points and 19 rebounds for the Rockets. Clint Capela had 13 points and 17 rebounds in the loss.
The Rockets battle the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday in Cleveland. The Kings host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 10 p.m. Wednesday in Sacramento.
