Table of Contents
What we learned during the fight in the game causes the Kings’ victory against the Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – There were fights, ejections, free pizza and, for the first time in a long time, chants of “Light the Beam” as the Kings (10-12) defeated the red-hot Houston Rockets (15-12). 7) by a final score of 120-111 on Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento hasn’t performed well in front of its home crowd this season, but improved that record to 5-7 with its first NBA Cup win.
And boy, fans were in for a treat at G1C from start to finish.
After a slow first quarter by both teams, tensions flared in the second when Dillon Brooks He was up to his typical antics. He went to the bench semi-authorized in the fourth, which resulted in several technical fouls. But above all, the scrimmage served as fuel for the Kings to finish the quarter strong and carry that energy into the second half.
Domantas Sabonis ended up leading the team with 27 points on 13 of 19 field goals, with seven rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes. De’Aaron Fox scored 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from deep, with six rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block in 37 minutes.
DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk combined for 33 points.
Rookie big man Isaac Jones had a career night, finishing with 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting night.
It took a team effort, but the Kings found a way to take the gas out of the Rockets, who entered Tuesday’s contest on a three-game winning streak and winning five of their last six.
Fight in the second quarter
Tensions rose in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game, and none other than self-proclaimed NBA villain Brooks was in the middle of it all.
It all started when Brooks stripped a dead ball from Sabonis long after the whistle had blown, but Sabonis didn’t pay much attention to it.
His companions did it.
Monk and Fox shared some words with Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr., and ultimately had to be separated after the benches nearly emptied at the 4:19 mark of the second quarter.
After several minutes of deliberation by the referees, which included Brooks being booed as part of a theatrical jumbotron display, Monk, Brooks and Smith Jr. were assessed technical fouls.
And that lit a fire under the Kings…
Stars shine under pressure
When things get out of control as a result of the Dillon Brooks effect, there are two ways a team can respond.
More often than not, everything works out in favor of Brooks, who knows how to get under the skin of opposing players.
While the Kings certainly didn’t back down from the trash talk, they backed it up with their play.
That started with Fox, who is one of those players you don’t want to piss off.
After those technical fouls were assessed, the Kings closed the quarter on an 11-1 run. Fox had 10 of those points. He finished the game with 22 points.
Sabonis was steady as always and played his role to perfection, finishing with 27.
And DeRozan was the veteran presence the team needed at the time, showing leadership both on and off the court. DeRozan added 16 on 6-of-15 shooting.
It takes a village to win big games, and the Kings’ Big Three did what they were supposed to do Tuesday night.
shooters shoot
Sacramento has not been a good three-point shooting team this season. There is no other way to say it. Two of their sharpshooters, Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray, have struggled to get rhythm from beyond the arc this season.
Not on Tuesday.
Murray entered the contest shooting 27.4 percent from downtown in 21 games. He was asked about his poor shooting after practice on Monday, to which he responded that he wasn’t worried about it and that he still feels confident he can turn things around.
His unwavering conviction paid off on Tuesday, and it appears the outspoken rookie who broke records two seasons ago It’s back in year 3.
Murray finished the game with 13 points, three triples, six rebounds and three blocks.
Meanwhile, Huerter, who returned after missing the last game with an ankle injury, has also had great difficulty making any shots, even being removed from the starting lineup and playing limited minutes off the bench.
He entered Tuesday’s game averaging 27.7 percent from deep in 18 games this season. On Tuesday he finished with 13 points and three triples.