This time, Chimezie Metu kept his cool until the end. His latest coup against the Mavericks had clearly not put him in his best light, as the Nigerian international was suspended from a match after sending Eugene Omoruyi a hook in the Summer League.
This night, it is on an exclusively basketball prowess that he distinguished himself, with a 3-point buzzer scored from the corner to defeat the Mavs, beaten 95 to 94. His victorious shot was followed by a streak of collective euphoria that he will not soon forget.
“It was probably the best time, when all the guys are pouncing on you. Everything stops. It was really cool. Since being in the league, this is without a doubt the best thing that has happened to me. It was a great feeling for us to take this victory ”, he said after the game.
A matter of trust
Often quick to criticize the shortcomings of his group, Alvin Gentry this time underlined the accuracy of this last action, both in the finish and in its construction.
“Mezzie took a big shot from the corner, but it was De’Aaron Fox’s pass that really changed everything”, he slipped. “He turned to the corner and executed very quickly. He said he was going to try to go to the dunk, look for shots, or if he saw the drive close, find a guy in the corner ”.
Team leader De’Aaron Fox trusted his teammate when two points would have been enough to force overtime. His pass to Chimezie Metu, a symbol of the Kings leader’s confidence in his teammate, contrasted with the lack of confidence in the Dallas ranks on this last possession.
While the Mavs should especially not concede a 3-point basket, Dwight Powell suddenly made the choice to help De’Aaron Fox, who left at the drive against Frank Ntilikina. The inside assist from Dallas then opened a boulevard for the victory of Sacramento with that shot from a chair that Chimezie Metu did not miss.
“Fox pulled off a great action”, lamented Jason Kidd. “It’s hard for us. Unfortunately, if we leave a lay-up, the score is tied and we go into overtime. But Dwight Powell came to the aid and they set their sights.
| Chimezie Metu | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | SAN | 29 | 5 | 32.8 | 0.0 | 76.5 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| 2019-20 | SAN | 18 | 6 | 57.1 | 0.0 | 76.9 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 3.2 |
| 2020-21 | SAC | 36 | 14 | 50.8 | 35.1 | 72.1 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 6.3 |
| 2021-22 | SAC | 21 | 24 | 41.0 | 23.7 | 76.5 | 0.9 | 5.7 | 6.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 9.3 |
| Total | 104 | 12 | 45.2 | 26.4 | 74.8 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 5.1 | |
