‘Big relief’: Sacramento Kings beat Miami Heat to earn first win under coach Mike Brown
Pressure was mounting in Sacramento over the past two weeks as the Kings searched for their first win of the season under coach Mike Brown.
They finally got one Saturday in a matinee affair at Golden 1 Center, beating the Miami Heat 119-113 before an announced crowd of 14,618. The victory alleviated some of the tension the Kings have been feeling with heightened expectations in Sacramento.
“It’s big,” Kings guard Kevin Huerter said. “It’s big to get the first one. Any time you start a year, you get your first win, it’s kind of a big relief. We’ve worked hard, as hard as any other team in training camp. It’s been a long road up to this point. The first four games of the season, we felt like we had opportunities to win. We just couldn’t close the deal.”
Huerter scored a team-high 27 points for the Kings (1-4), who withstood a late charge from the Heat after leading by as many as 22 points. Huerter made 8 of 11 from the field, including 7 of 8 from 3-point range.
“We’re not happy about the lead we had and giving that up, but I think there’s a lot of positives for us to win a game down the stretch like that where it’s a couple possession game,” Huerter said. “We got to make plays, so that’s definitely a good position for us to be in. Hopefully we continue to win close games.”
Rookie Keegan Murray scored a career-high 22 points for the Kings, who will visit the Heat on Wednesday as part of a four-game road trip. Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and seven rebounds before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. De’Aaron Fox had what Brown called “a whale of a game” with 17 points, a career-high 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.
“Here’s a point guard that, in my opinion, is a winner, and he’s a winner at the highest of high levels,” Brown said. “And hopefully he’ll get a chance with this team to show it to you guys, because for a point guard to come up with 13 rebounds in a physical game like this versus a really good team that’s athletic, tough and well coached, that’s special. That takes a lot of heart and determination to go in there play after play after play, especially guarding somebody on the perimeter and then grab 13 boards to top it off.”
Tyler Herro scored 34 points for the Heat (2-5). Bam Adebayo had 23 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jimmy Butler finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Herro helped the Heat get within one with just under six minutes remaining, but he went 1 of 5 over the final 5:23 with Fox stepping up to take over the defensive assignment. During one sequence, Fox blocked Herro’s shot and then drew an offensive foul against him.
Brown said Fox wanted to take on that challenge at a decisive moment in the contest.
“He wanted the assignment,” Brown said. “He definitely wanted the assignment.”
The Kings came in with a greater sense of urgency after losing their first four games. They looked focused and ready from the opening tip.
Sacramento forced a shot clock violation on Miami’s first possession. Huerter hit a 3-pointer. Sabonis threw down a dunk. Before long, the Kings had opened up a double-digit advantage.
Sacramento led 32-23 at the end of the first period. The Kings shot 59.1% from the field while holding the Heat to 33.3%. They also amassed an early 14-8 rebounding advantage.
The Kings went up by 15 early in the second quarter, prompting Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to take a timeout after Trey Lyles buried a 3-pointer to give Sacramento a 38-23 lead. The Heat battled back to get within seven, but the Kings quickly regained control, staging a 14-2 run to extend the lead to 19.
The Kings carried a 71-49 lead into the locker room at the break after producing their best half of the season. They shot a blistering 63.6% while holding the Heat to 37.2%.
Sacramento has struggled with transition defense early this season, but this time the Kings exploited their opponent’s weakness in that area.
“I think we just didn’t get back well enough early in the game,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said. “I think we let those guys get to their spots. They were pushing every time they scored. You could hear their coach saying, ‘Go, go, go.’ So, I think once we settled in a bit, we figured it out and helped each other a lot better.”
Sabonis led all scorers with 18 points in the first half, but momentum began to shift after he picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in the first two minutes of the third quarter. Miami got within 12 on a basket by Butler and cut the deficit to six on a 3-pointer by Lowry.
The Kings led 90-82 at the end of the third quarter, but Miami kept coming in the fourth. The Heat got within four on a 3-pointer by Herro and cut the deficit to one on a three-point play by Butler, but the Kings came up with big baskets and big stops down the stretch to secure their first win.
“It’s a lot better than coming into the locker room after a loss,” Murray said. “The talk in the locker room is a lot shorter than usual, so that’s a good thing, but it feels good to get our first win finally. Just hoping for a lot more.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2022 at 7:21 PM.
