DeRozan takes over in 2OT as Kings stun Heat

January 7, 2025 Sportextra NBA, Sports 0

Trailing by 17 points with less than eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Sacramento Kings appeared to be on their way to a losing effort for the first time in over a week.

Rather than roll over and take the loss, Monday night’s game against the Miami Heat at Golden 1 Center turned out the be the latest example that this team has turned a corner.

Sacramento erased a late deficit and battled a physical Heat team in two overtime periods, converting several key possessions in the clutch to secure a 123-118 win–their fifth consecutive triumph following a six-game losing streak.

DeMar DeRozan struggled in regulation, going eight-for-20 from the field. Once the game entered the second overtime period, it was a different story.

DeRozan scored nine of the Kings’ 11 points in double-overtime as Sacramento (18-19) continues to dig itself out of an early-season hole by playing its best basketball yet.

Kings vs. Heat recap & takeaways

It was a strange start to this one as two coach’s challenges occurred over the first two minutes of play, and both teams struggled to find a rhythm on offense.

Just over 24 hours removed from blowing the doors off the Golden State Warriors defense with a red-hot start at Chase Center, the Sacramento offense couldn’t get free against a physical Miami team in the early going. The Kings shot just 37 percent in the opening frame while handing out just three assists (against five turnovers) as they fell behind heading into the second period.

After shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc in San Francisco, Sacramento struggled to find the bottom of the net from three during the first half and even experienced some trouble in the paint early on, but broke through in the final moments of the second quarter in much-needed fashion.

Malik Monk continued his impressive play by injecting life into the Kings’ offense, scoring 12 of Sacramento’s 27 points in the period to turn a seven-point deficit into a 50-47 lead at the break.

While poor three-point shooting continued to hurt the Kings as play entered the second half, Miami made their move.

The Heat opened up the third quarter on a 25-13 run to take their largest lead of the night and didn’t stop there, holding Sacramento to seven-of-22 (32%) shooting from the field to stretch the advantage into double-digits.

An offense that scored 129 points in San Francisco 24 hours prior was nowhere to be seen on Monday night. The Kings failed to break through Miami’s 2-3 zone, often having to force attempts as the shot clock wound down or turning the ball over, leading to fast-break opportunities for the Heat.

Miami stretched its lead to 17 points before the Keon Ellis show reached Golden 1 Center.

Ellis, who scored nine points and created several second-chance opportunities for Sacramento down the final stretch, allowing the Kings with an opportunity to get back in the game.

Sacramento outscored the Heat 34-24 in the fourth quarter, erasing the deficit and having an opportunity to win the game in regulation. DeMar DeRozan’s game-winning attempt would rim out, leading to free basketball as the Kings hoped to pull off another stunning comeback win on their home floor.

A clutch triple from Domantas Sabonis would put Sacramento ahead 111-110 with less than a minute to go, but Miami capitalized on a second-chance attempt that resulted in two free-throw from Terry Rozier, who knocked down both free throws to put the Heat back in front by one with 18.7 on the clock.

Following a Malik Monk miss, Jamie Jacquez Jr. missed both free throws to allow another game-winning attempt by the Kings, and Keon Ellis drew a foul with 0.9 remaining. Ellis missed one free throw, setting the stage for another extra period as fans in attendance waited on pins and needles.

DeRozan, who struggled to find a consistent flow of offense during the first five periods of play, flipped a switch in the second overtime.

The six-time All-Star was automatic in double-OT, scoring nine of Sacramento’s 11 points on four-of-six shooting, including a game-sealing contested jumper with 12 seconds remaining to put the Kings up by five as Golden 1 Cente was sent into a frenzy.

‘Light The Beam’ chants rung throughout the arena as time expired, and somehow, some way, Sacramento pulled off another stunning comeback to pull itself one game beneath the .500 mark.

“Man, it felt good. We didn’t give up on it,” DeRozan said of the win–the Kings’ second fourth-quarter comeback during this five-game winning streak. “We all just looked at each other and buckled down. It just shows the will of us pulling together to win.”

DeRozan and Ellis’ late efforts were the driving forces behind Sacramento’s comeback effort, but making late-game adjustments on both ends acted as the difference when it mattered most.

The Kings held Miami to five-of-19 (26%) shooting from the field during the two overtime periods while going nine-of-15 (60%) on their end of the floor.

Ellis, Sabonis, and Keegan Murray (five offensive rebounds) created second-chance opportunities for Sacramento in crunch time, allowing the Kings to overcome an early deficit in that category and finish the night ahead 23-20 on nine-of-16 (56%) shooting in those chances.

Miami dominated the second half of the game thanks to a physical style of play and seemingly full-proof zone defense, but left their foot off the gas just enough for Sacramento to see daylight. One thing that we’re learning about Doug Christie’s new-look group: Don’t let them see a shred of daylight.

“Right now, we are in the testing phase of establishing our identity,” Christie said of his team’s effort. “I just kept telling them to believe. To watch them continue to execute and continue to fight is everything to me. We have more to give, and they went above and beyond.”

The Kings are accustomed to taking care of business on the road, and their 30-point throttling of the Warriors just 24 hours earlier reminded them that they can be a nightmare on opposing teams’ home floors.

Winning at Golden 1 Center wasn’t as easy for Sacramento, and before this current five-game winning streak, they led the NBA with 12 home losses. Since then, they have rattled off four consecutive wins on their own floor, improving their home record from 6-12 to 10-12 in the process.

“It’s important,” Sabonis said of protecting home court. “We love our fans. We love our city. It’s so much fun to play here, and we’re trying to bring that back and light the beam.”

The Kings are playing with juice right now, winning five straight games for the first time since November of last season. Taking care of the past two games without Fox (right glute contusion) is another element of this streak, and Sacramento will likely get their star guard back this weekend when they begin a three-game road trip.

After a six-game losing streak, after the drama surrounding Mike Brown’s firing, the vibes around this team are back to levels that haven’t been seen in quite some time.

Notes

Domantas Sabonis posted his fifth triple-double of the season: 21 PTS | 18 REB | 11 AST | 50 MIN (career-high)

DeMar DeRozan finished the night with 30 points on 12/26 shooting over 47 minutes.

Keegan Murray had a strong game on both ends of the floor, posting his ninth double-double of the season in the process: 14 PTS | 12 REB | 4/6 3PT | 43 MIN

Injury Updates

De’Aaron Fox (right glute contusion) missed Sunday’s game–his first absence of the season–after experiencing soreness that was caused by a fall that took place during the closing seconds of Friday’s win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Fox was held out of Monday’s game and is considered day-to-day.

Fox will benefit from a seven-day break, as Sacramento will not play again until Friday in Boston.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will leave the state of California for the first time since December 12th as they embark on a three-game road trip that begins with a matchup against the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics on Friday afternoon.

The Kings have lost six straight games against the Celtics and haven’t won a game at TD Garden since March 19, 2021.

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. Celtics drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on Game Night before action tips off at 4:00 PM PT from downtown Boston.

Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule

*Friday, January 10th – @ Boston Celtics – 4:30 PM PT
*Sunday, January 12th – @ Chicago Bulls – 12:30 PM PT
*Tuesday, January 14th – @ Milwaukee Bucks – 5:00 PM PT
*Thursday, January 16th – vs. Houston Rockets – 7:00 PM PT
*Sunday, January 19th – vs. Washington Wizards – 6:00 PM PT

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