It might have been MBIII’s birthday on Thursday, but the real celebration was seeing the young Kings forward suited up on the hardwood to face the Celtics.
No. 35 sat out the last two weeks with a sprained knee that occurred during final moments of the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I thought he fought and he ran the floor, he rebounded and [we were] just trying to find a rhythm for him there,” coach Dave Joerger told reporters following the Kings' 126-120 loss in Boston.
With just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the rookie out of Duke made a significant impact on the scoreboard.
Before the first quarter buzzer sounded, Bagley had buried four free throws and sunk a 3-pointer from the baseline.
No longer a teen, the impressive young big man notched 14 points and six rebounds in his 19 minutes on the court. Providing energy and effort all over the floor.
“He came out really aggressive, played really well in the first quarter,” said De’Aaron Fox. “He’s just getting his wind back.”
"I look forward to seeing him again tomorrow night and going forward," continued coach Joerger.
That opportunity comes soon, as the squad finishes the road trip with a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.