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What we learned as the Kings’ new duo of Fox and DeRozan power first win of the season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points to become the fifth player in Kings franchise history to reach the 10,000-point mark, and Sacramento earned its first win of the 2024-25 NBA season after beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98. on Monday night.
DeMar DeRozan added 23 points, three assists and three steals as the Kings lit up the beam at the Golden 1 Center for the first time this season. Domantas Sabonis achieved another double-double: 355th of his career, with 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Kevin Huerter scored 18 and Malik Monk scored 12.
The Kings led from start to finish and showed much more muscle and physicality than when they lost to the Blazers two weeks ago in the preseason.
Sabonis provided the spark early and effectively attacked the rim while helping Sacramento build an early lead, but it was Fox’s night to celebrate.
The veteran guard, who had double-doubles in each of Sacramento’s first two games, shot 9 of 20 from the field and scored his historic points in the third quarter. Fox joins Oscar Robertson, Jack Twyman, Mitch Richmond and Tiny Archibald as the only players in Kings history with 10,000 points or more.
While Fox did his thing, the rest of the Kings took care of the small details. Sacramento grabbed 47 rebounds and dished out 25 assists.
The only real problem for Kings coach Mike Brown is how poorly his team played and defended the post. Sacramento had done a good job in losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers, but did not have the same success against Portland, being outscored 52-28 in the paint.
Now it comes to Utah, where the Kings look to get their first road win on Tuesday against the Jazz.
Here are the takeaways from Monday’s game:
get to the line
DeRozan’s ability to attack the rim and contact was a defining factor in the Kings signing him in the offseason, and we’re seeing why.
After making 50 of 60 free throws in the first two games, Sacramento did another solid job getting to the line on Monday against Portland. The Kings finished with 23 of 25 free throws, with DeRozan leading the way with 9 of 10 free throws.
Sacramento came into the night leading the NBA in free throw percentage and now has an 85.8 percent success rate.
Another game, another great streak for the rival
In each of their first three games, the Kings have allowed their opponents to make big runs that changed the momentum of the contest. Monday’s affair with the Blazers was no different.
Sacramento built a seemingly comfortable 10-point lead midway through the first quarter, then allowed Portland to narrow the gap to one point after a 19-19 run.
It’s a worrying pattern that needs to be resolved soon. The Kings were outscored 20-7 at one point during their season-opening loss to the Timberwolves, then He was defeated 21-0 by the Lakers. last Saturday.
good challenge
The Kings caught a break in the second quarter when Brown challenged a foul called on Monk while Sacramento’s sixth man defended Jerami Grant.
Replays appeared to show Monk’s left hand touching Grant’s forearm as the Portland forward went up, but the referees ruled it was a legal play on the ball and therefore the call was overturned.
That’s the third successful challenge in four attempts for Brown this season. During the 2023-24 season, Brown had a .500 record (28-28) in challenges.