Category: NBA

Fox 60 points not enough in OT Thriller; Kings bow to Timberwolves 130-126

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) takes a jump shot over the Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickiel Alexander Walker (9) in first half action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Nov 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night in Sacramento. The Kings came into the game with a record of 7-5 on the season. The Kings had won two of their last three games. The Kings welcomed the Minnesota Timberwolves to Golden 1 Center on Friday night.

Contrary to the Kings, the Timberwolves had lost the last three games they played. The Wolves would be looking to get on track, and the Kings would be looking to improve on a solid start to the homestand. Tip-off was set for 7 PM PST. The Kings lost to the Timberwolves 130-126.

In the first quarter, the Kings’ offense looked out of sorts. However, that was entirely predictable. The Kings were playing on Friday without DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk, who were both injured. On the other hand, the mostly healthy Timberwolves were on a mission to snap their skid.

The Wolves outscored the Kings 32-27 in the first. De’Aaron Fox started red hot for the Kings with nine in the quarter. Anthony Edwards matched the energy with eight points.

In the second quarter, the Kings continued to struggle. The Kings’ offense didn’t have good spacing and flow in the first half. Granted, the Wolves were shooting well. Fox was really the only reason the Kings stayed in the game in the first half. He finished the half with 21 points.

The Kings were outscored 30-27 in the second quarter as they trailed 62-54 going into halftime. Edwards led the Wolves with 13 points. The Kings would need to tighten the defense and get a contribution from someone not named Fox in the second half to have a chance.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same uninspiring basketball from the Kings. There’s not much else to say. The Kings were outscored 36-28 in the third quarter to dig themselves into a 98-82 hole going into the fourth quarter. Could they make a run?

In the fourth quarter, Fox went absolutely insane. Fox scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to bring the Kings all the way back to a tie game as time expired. The Kings came back to tie the game 115-115 going into overtime.

In overtime, Fox continued to impress, but it wasn’t enough. Fox scored six points in overtime, but the Kings were outscored 15-11 to lose the game 130-126. Edwards had seven overtime points to seal the deal for the Timberwolves. The Kings were led by Fox with 60 points in defeat. The Timberwolves were led by Anthony Edwards, who scored 36. The 60 points from Fox was a career high and franchise record.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at 7 PM PST. The Kings will be on the second night of a back-to-back.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings face Timberwolves at Golden One tonight; Sac coming off win against Phoenix

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Phoenix Suns guard Tyus Jones (21) figures the only way to stop the Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (left) is by hanging onto his jersey in the first half at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Nov 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 On Wednesday night Sacramento Kings beat the short handed Phoenix Suns 127-101 on at Golden One in Sacramento. The Kings took advantage of the Sun short handedness with DeAaron Fox scoring a team leading 29 points.

#2 The Kings Kevin Huerter contributed with a season high 22 points. Donmantas Sabonis finished with 11 points, ten rebounds, and seven assists which helped the Kings win their second game in four days.

#3 Jeremiah, talk about how the absence of the Suns Kevin Durant has impacted their games. Durant has missed three straight due to a strained calf. The Suns really struggled in this one.

#4 The Kings had a wide gap on the Sun in the fourth quarter with a 26 point lead before the Suns scored five points making it 93-88 but the Suns were a few points and a few players short. The Kings have now won three of their last five games.

#5 The Kings host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. The Timberwolves are coming off losing to the Portland Trailblazers in a two game sweep. Will the Kings be able to keep the momentum going and will the Timberwolves come back from the double loss to Portland at Golden One?

Jeremiah Salmonson covers the Sacramento Kings at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Fox 29 points help defeat Suns 127-104 at Golden One

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings guard DeAaron Fox (5) is guarded by the Phoenix Suns forward Josh Okogie (2) and Ryan Dunn (0) at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Nov 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings welcomed in the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. The Kings’ last game was a loss on Monday in San Antonio to the Spurs. The Suns came in on the second night of a back-to-back. The Kings and Suns were set to tip off at 7 PM PST. The Kings defeated the Suns 127-104.

In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a hot start. The Kings pretty much immediately jumped out to a double-digit lead. The Suns picked it up as the quarter came to a close. However, it wasn’t enough to get back even. The Kings outscored the Suns 35-29 in the first quarter. De’Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray both started hot with ten points each. Josh Okogie had nine points in the first.

In the second quarter, the Kings continued to build the lead early on. However, similarly to the first quarter, they relinquished the large spread late. The Kings were outscored in the second quarter 27-26 to take the 61-56 lead.

The Kings couldn’t close out either of the first two quarters with large leads. They would look to defensive intensity and continued good shooting in the second half to secure the win. Keegan Murray led the way in the first half with 15 points for the Kings. The Suns got their best contribution from Okogie in the first half with 16 points.

In the third quarter, the Kings had a solid third quarter in which they built the lead-up. The Kings outscored the Suns 32-24 in the quarter to take a 93-80 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Kings were in a commanding position against the Suns without Bradley Beal or Kevin Durant. The only thing left would be to close it out.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings closed out the game with force. The Kings erupted for 34 points in the fourth compared to only 24 points for the Suns. The Kings emptied their bench with 4:46 left in the game to cruise to a 127-104 victory.

The Kings were led in the win by De’Aaron Fox, who scored 29 points in the game. Worth noting in the game was that Fox only took two shots from beyond the arc. Fox talked about the lack of three-pointers from him postgame, saying, “It’s something Luke and I have been talking about… and just trying to touch the paint.”

Mike Brown was excited postgame at seeing some of the threes go in, to the tune of 53% on Wednesday night. Mike Brown said postgame “The difference really is us getting into the paint and feeling two people defending you then kicking it out.”

Up Next: The Kings will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at 7 PM PST inside Golden One Center. I asked Fox postgame about his thoughts going into the first game of the tournament. Fox said, “I think it’s dope just being able to see different courts, and I’m judging people’s courts,” Fox said jokingly. He went on to say, “I think the big difference is you could be playing a team, and it could be a blowout… and you are really playing to the final whistle,” referring to the point system in the tournament.

Kings Get Whitewashed By Spurs 116-96; San Antonio’s Wembanyama’s 34 points leads the way

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) is defended by the Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (right) at Frost Bank in San Antonio on Mon Nov 11, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (6-4) came out in the first quarter with great energy winning the first 12 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs (4-6) 26-22. That was about all they could muster losing the game 116-96. The Spurs won all of the remaining quarters in the game.

The overtime win yesterday over the Suns weighed on the team. They had lost their sixth man Malik Monk to injury in that game and they will happily hop a plane and head home to Sacramento for a four game home-stand which begins on Wednesday.

Game recap: The answer came early for Sacramento. They took a first quarter lead 26-22. They continued to push that lead in the second quarter taking a 33-27 lead to open the second 12 minutes.

The Spurs continued to push the issue pulling to within one point 33-32 after having trailed by nine points earlier in the quarter. At 7:36 the Spurs took the lead 37-36. Sacramento took back to lead but by the slimmest of margins and this game went back and forth. San Antonio’s superstar Victor Wembanyama had scored 13 points in 13 minutes. Sacramento would have pull out all the stops dismiss their fatigue and fight for this one.

At the half, the Spurs led 60-55 after trailing by nine points. Had fatigue caught up with the Kings? We would find out in the second half of play.

In the third quarter, the Kings just plain ran out of steam. They were missing shot after shot and after three the Spurs had a 84-71 lead. Sacramento typically has had some very productive fourth quarters and they would need to step up both their offense and defense if they would have any chance in this game.

The Spurs continued to extend their lead in the fourth quarter leaving the Kings in the dust. With 10:13 left in the game the Kings trailed by the score of 75-87. Victor Wembanyaama had already hit 25 points with 12 rebounds.

Kevin Huerter had not hit a single three and with 8:19 left in the game the Spurs had a 95-78 lead. Huerter had only scored two points, and Keegan Murray had hit five points. Sacramento had a lot of ground to make up and they had to get within striking distance in the final three minutes of this game.

It just didn’t happen. The Kings fell further and further behind and with less than a minute left in the game trailed 116-96. That would be the final and Sacramento had suffered a 20 point loss.

The Kings protected the ball well in this game with only 11 turnovers but the missed shots weighed heavy on the outcome of the game. Sacramento hit 10 threes but the Spurs were on fire scoring 22 shots from outside and the Kings couldn’t manage Victor Wembanyama.

He hit six shots from downtown, had 14 rebounds and finished the game with 34 points. The Kings Kevin Huerter finished the game with a disappointing two points and Keegan Murray was equally disappointing with five points. The team will be happy to put this game behind them as they head home for a four-game home-stand. It was close to being one of their worst games this season.

Game recap: Monday night the Kings took on the Spurs (4-6) at Frost Bank Center. The Spurs are on a downward trend losing three of their past five games. Saturday night their Head Coach Greg Popovich became seriously ill and missed the game and will not be on the bench for this game.

This has been a blow for the team attributing to part of their decline. The Kings suffered a loss of their own Sunday night in Phoenix losing Malik Monk to a right ankle sprain. There is so far no indication as to the seriousness of the injury nor a timeline for his return.

The Kings really need their sixth man since their bench has been a bit lackluster although Keon Ellis has been a defensive powerhouse. The Kings came into this game after beating the Phoenix Sun handing them their second loss of the year 127-118 on Sunday. It was an epic battle and the question remains; how much gas do these guys have left in the tank.

Tuesday will be a travel day for the team. They will be grateful to get some much needed rest on Tuesday before taking on the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7:00 PM. In the coming days the Kings will be watching for some update on the extent and possible return date of Malik Monk.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: Kings take on Spurs tonight in San Antonio; Kings have won three of last four games

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Phoenix guard Josh Okogie (2) and Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) jockey for a chance at a rebound at Footprint Arena in Phoenix on Sun Oct 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The Sacramento Kings beat the Phoenix Sun’s in an epic battle that went into overtime with the Kings winning 127-118 at Footprint Arena in downtown Phoenix.

#2 The Kings have won three of their last four games this was a team that had it’s share of struggles has head coach Mike Brown figured things out in getting the team back on track?

#3 On the Kings win against the Suns, the Kings DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points to lead the Kings to a 128-118 win on Sunday night. DeRozan no doubt has come into his own in those recent Kings wins.

#4 One of the things that hampered the Suns was their star player Kevin Durant was injured on Friday and is out for the next two weeks. Durant was someone who the Suns leaned heavy on.

#5 The Kings face the San Antonio Spurs tonight the Spurs have lost three of their last five games. They also have missed head coach Gregg Popovich who was taken ill on Saturday. The Spurs are struggling right now and the Kings have improved how do you see this match up tonight between the Kings and Spurs?

Join Barbara Mason for the latest on Kings coverage on the Sacramento Kings podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Best Suns In Overtime 127-118; DeRozan leads Sac with 34 points

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan drives on the Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn in first half action at Footprint Arena in Phoenix on Sun Nov 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings beat the Phoenix Sun’s in an epic battle that went into overtime with the Kings winning 127-118 at Footprint Arena in downtown Phoenix. The outstanding player in this game went to the entire starting roster with DeMar DeRozan who led with 34 points.

Sunday evening, the Sacramento Kings (6-4) traveled to the Valley of the Sun to take on the Phoenix Suns (8-2) at Footprint Center. After a slow start, the Kings have seemed to have found their rhythm but they will be sorely tested by the Phoenix Suns.

Devon Booker and the Suns are having a robust season and will be looking to keep things rolling. The Kings lost Friday night to the Los Angeles Clippers 107-98 while the Sun come into this game having won their past three games by the narrowest of margins, the most recent a one-point victory over the Dallas Mavericks 114-113.

The only team that has beaten the Sun this season has been the Los Angeles Lakers back on October 25th. That score was a 123-116 loss to Los Angeles, the only loss for Phoenix so far this season.

The Sun will be looking to continue their winning ways without superstar Kevin Durant on the court. He is sidelined for at least two weeks with a calf strain. He suffered the injury in their 114-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

After the first 12 minutes of play the Kings had a 36-31 lead. The Kings were protecting the ball well and shooting 58% from the field. Sacramento continued to hold down the fort in the second quarter thanks to the sharp shooting of Kevin Huerter who had 14 points followed by Domantas Sabonis with 12 points and seven rebounds.

The Kings went on a 18-5 run taking a 60-53 lead at halftime. DeMar DeRozan got going along with Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox who started to heat up as the half came to an end. The second half promised to be a closely contested game.

A blow came in the early part of the second quarter when Malik Monk was ruled out for the rest of the game due to a right ankle sprain. This was terrible news for the Kings who have won five of their last seven games.

The loss put Sacramento’s second unit into a tough spot going into the second half of play. He will no doubt be evaluated on Monday. He had been averaging 13.6 points. The Kings will need the entire bench to step up in his absence. They desperately need their sixth man.

After leading for much of the game, Sacramento gave up the lead to the Suns 77-74 with under four minutes left in the third quarter. The Kings had outscored the Sun in the second quarter by a basket 24-22 but were getting beaten pretty soundly in the third 24-17 with three minutes left in the quarter.

With under three minutes left on the clock this game was knotted at 77. With under a minute the game was again tied at 79. As the third quarter came to an end the Suns held a slim lead over the Kings 82-79 Sabonis already had a double double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

It all came down to the fourth quarter in this hotly contested game. The Sun began to distance themselves taking a seven-point lead to start the quarter and continued to extend their lead as the quarter wore on.

Sacramento battled back trailing by the score of 94-95 with 5:36 left on the clock. It was a four-point game with under four minutes left on the clock and the Suns leading 104-100. With under two minutes it was a one-point 107-106 and this game could not have been any closer. Regulation time would end in a tie 111 apiece.

The Sun’s took a two point lead to start the quarter but that was where it would all end. Sacramento’s DeRozan not only tied up the game but hit a free throw followed by a couple of buckets and another free throw. De’Aaron Fox made two shots with under two minutes in the overtime to finish off the Sun’s winning the game 127-118.

This was an epic battle between the two teams but it was the Kings that capped it off in the overtime after tying up the game to end the fourth quarter. Both Keegan Murray and Fox had a slow first half but picked it up in the fourth quarter.

Murray finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds and Fox got hot as well with 21 points and 11 rebounds . DeRozan had the team high with 34 points. Huerter was 5 of 9 from downtown finishing with 17 points.

Sabonis scored 20 points and had 12 rebounds. This was a great win for the team but came at a cost. Malik Monk left the game in the early part of the second quarter with a right ankle sprain, a huge loss for the team.

Sacramento has now won six of their last eight games. Monday the Kings will travel to San Antonio for a date with the Spurs. Sacramento is 4-2 on the road. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 PM. Hopefully we will know more on the condition and status of Malik Monks injury.

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Pelicans Williamson out with pulled hamstring; Would struggling Bucks trade for Giannis? More NBA news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson (1) is not too happy after being called for a foul in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on Wed Nov 6, 2024. This would be Williamson’s last game as he later was place on the injured list with a pulled hamstring. (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie, The New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury he suffered the injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday he checked himself out of the game but returned and scored 23 points. Williamson didn’t play on Friday against the Orlando Magic. Williamson has missed four games this season. Since signing with the Pelicans in 2019 he’s missed 210 games out of 400 regular season games.

#2 The Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo was critical of the Bucks loss to the New York Knicks Friday night at Madison Square Garden 116-94. The Bucks previously had a six game losing streak before beating the Utah Jazz on Thursday but turned around and lost to the Knicks on Friday. Antetokounmpo said after the loss to New York “Did we compete the previous game? Yes. Did we compete the two [games before that]? Yes. Did we compete today? No,” Do you see Giannis getting discouraged and there is talk about the Bucks making some trades could Antetokounmpo want out of Milwaukee?

#3 The NBA announced on Saturday that Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has been suspended for 3 games for shoving a reporter Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer in the Sixers locker room following the October 23rd game for reporting that Embiid was not prepared for the season and Hayes had mentioned Embiid’s son and deceased brother in the article. The suspension has delayed Embiid’s much anticipated debut for the season.

#4 The Cleveland Cavaliers are smoking hot right now. They won their tenth straight game and scored 110 points or more in each of those ten games defeating the Golden State Warriors 136-117 on Friday night. Ironically the Warriors were the last team to start a season at 10-0 back in the 2015-16 season. The Cavs Kenny Atkinson said that he was concerned before the game playing a championship team like the Warriors but after the game said the Cavaliers are a prepared and hungry team.

#5 The Los Angeles Clippers Norman Powell was the difference maker on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings scoring 31 points with 12 rebounds in the Clippers 107-98 win at Golden One Center in Sacramento. James Harden added 22 points the Clips offense overshadowed the efforts of the Kings De’Aaron Fox with 31 points, Domantas Sabonis with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Big win for the Clippers, tough loss for the Kings.

Join Charlie O for the Kings podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Clippers Powell leads with 31 pts and 12 rebounds beat Kings 107-98 at Golden One

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) drives on the Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) on a pick in first half action at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Nov 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night. The Kings last played on Wednesday as they defeated the Toronto Raptors. On Friday, they were set to welcome the LA Clippers. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST on Friday night. The Kings lost the game to the Clippers 107-98.

In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a slow start offensively. At the 6:20 mark of the first, the Kings trailed 19-11. The Kings’ offense couldn’t get into any rhythm to put pressure on the Clippers’ defense. The rest of the quarter, the Kings tried to battle but couldn’t make up much ground.

The quarter ended with the Kings down 34-28. One thing that stood out was the free throw discrepancy: the Kings shot three free throws in the first quarter compared to the Clippers’ 11.

In the second quarter, the Kings continued to play sloppy basketball. The Kings weren’t firing on all cylinders on the defensive end, which led to missed assignments and easy buckets for the Clippers. The Kings’ and the Clippers’ offenses both came to a standstill in the second quarter, with each team scoring 17 points. The Kings trailed the Clippers 51-45 heading into halftime. Norman Powell led the Clippers in the first half with 18 points, while the Kings’ leading scorer was De’Aaron Fox with 12 points.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same uninspiring basketball. The Kings scored 28 points in the third as the Clippers managed 27 points. However, the Kings continued to trail as they couldn’t string together good possessions with any stops. The Kings were shooting an abysmal 2/22 from three through the first three quarters. Could the Kings pick up the offensive end of the floor to come back? They trailed 78-73 going into the fourth.

In the final quarter of action, the Kings failed to mount a comeback. The Kings played hard, but ultimately, some well-timed three-pointers from the LA Clippers sealed the fate of the Kings. The Kings managed to get the game to within four points with a few minutes remaining to show a sign of life.

However, the three-ball started falling for the Clippers as they shut down the run to win 107-98. The Kings’ leading scorer in defeat was Fox, who scored 33 points. Norman Powell led the Clippers in victory as he cooked the Kings with 31 points.

After the game, coach Mike Brown stressed the need to take more three-point shots, regardless of the team’s 3-26 performance. “I would really like our guys to take at least ten more… we left a few shots on the floor we could have taken.”

Up Next: The Kings head on the road to take on the Phoenix Suns on Sunday at 5 PM PST at Footprint Arena in Phoenix.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings host Clippers tonight at Golden One Center

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Toronto Raptors guard Ochai Abaji (left) defends against the Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray in first half action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Nov 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The Sacramento Kings DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points fired up the Kings with a record setting job in defeating the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night at Golden One Center.

#2 Domantas Sabonis had his third triple double of the season going with 17 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds. Sabonis was six for six from the field and shot a perfect five for five from the free throw line.

#3 Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds and De’Aaron Fox shot for 21 points. DeRozan has scored already 20 points in his first eight games in Sacramento.

#4 Fox played a tough defensive game for the Kings on Wednesday. Fox has been suffering a finger injury going 5 for 17 and was only 2 for 8 on three pointers.

#5 The Kings have won five of their last six games and host the Los Angeles Clippers (4-4) tonight at Golden One in Sacramento. The Clippers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night 110-98. The Clippers after losing three straight loses have won two games in row going into tonight’s game.

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Kings podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings sink Raptors 122-107; DeRozan leads Sac with 27 points

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) defends as the Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett (9) reaches for a rebound in the first half at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Nov 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night, playing their first game since returning from a four-game road trip. Their trip included stops in Utah, Atlanta, Toronto, and Miami, where they went 3-1, improving their season record to 4-3.

The Kings returned home on Wednesday to face the Toronto Raptors at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, with tip-off set for 7 PM PST. The Kings defeated the Raptors 122-107 Wednesday night.

In the first quarter, the Raptors jumped out to an early lead, scoring 33 points, led by Chris Boucher and RJ Barrett, who combined for 22 points. These two quickly made themselves known as “Kings killers” in Sacramento.

The Kings’ offense managed 30 points in the first quarter, led by Keegan Murray with 12 points. The Kings seemed to start slow in both games they had played against the Raptors to open the 2024 season.

In the second quarter, the Kings’ defense picked up the pace, holding the Raptors to only 21 points. Meanwhile, the Kings scored 27 points to take a 57-54 lead into halftime. Solid adjustments made in the second quarter raised the question of whether they could continue to limit the Raptors’ offense in the second half. Keegan Murray led the Kings in first-half scoring with 14 points, while RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 14 points.

In the third quarter, the Kings’ defense faltered again, struggling to find rhythm in defensive shifts, allowing the Raptors to retake the lead. The Kings scored a respectable 32 points, but the Raptors scored 39, leading 93-89 going into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings took control. DeMar DeRozan and the Kings’ offense dominated, outscoring the Raptors 33-24 to secure a 122-107 victory and improve to 5-3 on the season. DeRozan led the Kings with 27 points, while RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 23 points in defeat.

Kings head coach Mike Brown had high praise for Keegan Murray, who finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in the game. “His transformation is all about him and his work ethic. His will and determination to become the best possible player he can be… Look out for Keegan Murray,” Coach Brown said of Murray after the win.

The Kings will aim to keep up the momentum on Friday as they take on the LA Clippers at Golden 1 Center, with tip-off set for 7 PM PST.