It’s been a while since Marcus Thornton played off the bench. Last year’s starting shooting guard worked as a reserve and thrived for the Kings, scoring 23 points on eight of 11 shooting and four of five 3-pointers.
Thornton saw time on the court when it counted most yesterday evening. The 25-year-old guard played 23 of his 29 total minutes in the second and fourth quarters. He also scored 21 of 23 points in those two periods.
Following the Kings’ 117-100 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Thornton discussed how he adjusted to last night’s reserve role.
“I haven’t come off the bench in a long time,” the Kings guard told a scrum of reporters. “I had to keep myself in the game by standing up, cheering, getting my bones warmed up.
“It kind of didn’t work,” he continued. “Because when I got in, I kind of fumbled the ball. But I knew as time went on, I was going to catch on and get my rhythm back, so you know it was all good.”
The last time Thornton came off the bench was a year-and-a-half ago, ironically against the Trail Blazers in a 107-100 loss. Playing in his fourth game with the Kings following a trade from the New Orleans Hornets, Thornton scored 26 points in 33 minutes.
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