Paul George scores 40 to help Clippers spoil big NBA debut for Kings rookie Keegan Murray
Tipoff was about an hour away and anticipation was building as a near-capacity crowd began to fill the arena.
Kings rookie Keegan Murray knew as well as anyone he was about to make his NBA debut, but there was no sign of angst in his demeanor as he sat in front of his locker before the game.
“There’s no nerves,” Murray said. “I think I’m more excited than anything, just to be able to play again, be with the team again. That’s the biggest thing for me — that and winning the game.”
The Kings fell short of that goal in a 111-109 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers before a crowd of 16,296 at Golden 1 Center. Paul George put up 40 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Clippers (2-0), spoiling a sensational debut from Murray and another big game from De’Aaron Fox.
Fox had 36 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Kings (0-2), making 15 of 23 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Fox became the fourth player in franchise history to post consecutive 30-point games to open the season, joining Jack Twyman, Oscar Robertson and Tiny Archibald.
Murray was impressive, too, as he’s been since the moment the Kings selected him with the No. 4 pick in June’s NBA draft. The 22-year-old forward came off the bench to record 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in 33 minutes. He went 7 of 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range, demonstrating the same remarkable efficiency he showed in summer league and preseason play.
“I think that’s going to be a classic Keegan Murray game,” Fox said. “He does things quietly. … I think he had a great debut. I wish we capitalized on that and got a win.”
Murray received a huge ovation when he subbed into the game for the first time with 7:28 to go in the opening period. Kings public address announcer Scott Moak provided the introduction.
“Kings fans, checking in for your Sacramento Kings,” Moak said. “Please welcome No. 13, KEE-GAN … MURR-AY!”
Murray said he was touched by the crowd’s response.
“It meant everything to me,” said Murray, who missed Wednesday’s season opener while recovering from COVID-19. “Just their support throughout, since I’ve been drafted, all I’ve felt is love from the people in Sacramento and I’m forever grateful for what they’ve given me so far.”
Murray eased his way into the game. He didn’t attempt a shot for more than three minutes. When he finally started shooting, he could hardly miss.
His first basket came on his first career field-goal attempt, a 3-pointer from the left wing with 4:03 remaining in the first quarter. He made two free throws after being fouled on a driving layup attempt and then sank a corner 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining, cutting the Clippers’ lead to three going into the second period.
Just like that, Murray was leading all scorers with eight points on two field-goal attempts. He threw down an alley-oop dunk on a pass from Kevin Huerter and then picked up an assist on a 3-pointer by Huerter late in the first half, helping the Kings carry a 55-52 lead into the break.
The Clippers outscored the Kings 34-25 in the third and never trailed in the fourth. The Kings got within three on a 3-pointer by Murray and again on a late basket by Fox, but they couldn’t get any closer until Fox hit a 3 at the buzzer with his team trailing by five.
Sacramento shot 47.6% from the field and made 14 of 35 (.400) from 3-point range, but the Kings went 15 of 26 (.577) at the free-throw line.
“It’s a one-possession game and we still could have played better in a lot of ways, but we’re 57% from the free-throw line, so we all have to figure out what that means to us as an individual. If we aren’t shooting free throws well, we’re going to talk about it and we’re going to address it. We have to figure out what we can do to shoot better from there.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 12:01 AM.
