Kings close out Suns in overtime with clutch shots from DeMar DeRozan and De’Aaron Fox
The Kings had a vision when they brought two of the NBA’s best clutch scorers together to join forces in Sacramento.
That vision came to fruition Sunday when De’Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan shared an emphatic chest bump after hitting a series of big shots to close out an overtime win over the Phoenix Suns.
Fox and DeRozan combined to score all 16 of Sacramento’s points in overtime as the Kings pulled away for a 127-118 victory before a sellout crowd of 17,071 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
“This is what we felt it could be,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “DeMar had it going for a while so we rode him, and then we went to Fox, and they both hit big shot after big shot after big shot. To have two guys like that, it makes everybody’s job easier, especially down the stretch of a game.”
DeRozan scored a season-high 34 points for the Kings (6-4), who overcame an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to hand the Suns their second loss of the season.
Fox had 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists with zero turnovers. Domantas Sabonis put up 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
“DeRozan and Fox made a lot of plays going down the stretch and in overtime,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “They got to their spots and made shots.”
Kevin Huerter added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists while going 6 of 12 from the field and 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Huerter also had seven deflections, three steals and one blocked shot to earn defensive player of the game honors.
Keegan Murray recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Bradley Beal scored 28 points to lead the Suns (8-2), who were missing Kevin Durant due to a calf injury. Devin Booker had 23 points and 12 assists. Tyus Jones scored 22 points, going 6 of 10 from 3-point range.
Sabonis and Huerter fouled out in overtime, but the Kings persevered, largely thanks to DeRozan and Fox. DeRozan scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the fourth quarter. Fox and DeRozan scored eight points apiece in overtime, combining to go 7 of 8 from the field.
Fox was the inaugural winner of the Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award in 2022-23. DeRozan was the runner-up for the award last season.
“DeMar really carried us there for a good stretch in the fourth quarter and Fox showed up late for us when we needed him in overtime,” Huerter said. “We just hung tough and found a way to win.”
The Suns got some good news when Nurkic was cleared to play after being listed as questionable due to left ankle soreness, but they did not have Durant. The 14-time All-Star is expected to miss at least two weeks with a left calf strain, meaning he will also be out when the Suns face the Kings on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
“They still have two All-Stars even though KD is out,” Brown said before the game. “They’re still a dangerous team and they’re still well coached. They’re going to be a formidable opponent.”
Hot start by Huerter
Huerter helped the Kings get off to a good start, going 3 of 3 from the field and 2 of 2 from 3-point range for eight points over the first four minutes. That was a welcome sign for a team that came in 29th in 3-point shooting (.298) after going 3 of 26 from beyond the arc in Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Kings led 36-31 at the end of a fast-paced first quarter. They went 15 of 26 (.577) from the field and 3 of 8 (.375) from 3-point range with 10 assists on 15 made baskets and a 20-10 advantage on points in the paint.
The Kings lost Monk when he went down with an injury early in the second quarter. Monk appeared to have rolled his right ankle when he stepped on Mason Plumlee’s foot while trying to get around a screen.
After being helped to his feet, Monk hobbled off the floor and headed straight to the locker room with members of the team’s medical staff. A short time later, the Kings announced Monk would not return.
The Kings led by as many as eight before the Suns came back to take a 41-40 lead on a 3-pointer by Royce O’Neale with 8:05 to play in the first half. The Kings outscored the Suns 20-10 over the final 7:01 to take a 60-53 lead at the halftime break.
The Kings shot 46.3% from the field while holding the Suns to 42% shooting in the first half. Huerter had the hot hand for Sacramento, going 4 of 6 from 3-point range for 14 points.
The Suns announced Nurkic would not return in the second half after aggravating his ankle injury. Plumlee took his place.
The Kings went up by 11 early in the third quarter, but the Suns staged a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to two. Phoenix took a 72-71 lead on a 3-pointer by Grayson Allen with 5:54 to play in the third and carried an 82-79 lead into the fourth.
Fourth-quarter comeback
The Suns started the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run to take a 92-81 lead on a basket by Booker. The Kings cut the deficit to one following a 3-pointer from Trey Lyles and back-to-back baskets from DeRozan. They got within one three more times over the final 2:14 before finally reclaiming the lead during a dramatic sequence.
Fox rebounded a missed shot by Booker. DeRozan took the ball up the floor and missed a runner in the lane, but Murray tipped in the go-ahead basket, putting the Kings up 111-110 with 3.9 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Murray was called for an off-ball foul on the inbounds play. Video review showed Murray committed the foul before the ball was thrown inbounds.
By rule, the Suns were awarded one free throw and possession of the ball. Booker made the free throw to tie the score, but the game went to overtime after he missed an off-balance 3-pointer from the corner as time expired.
The Kings outscored the Suns 8-2 to start the extra session with all eight points coming from DeRozan. Fox took over from there, scoring the last eight points for Sacramento.
“Obviously, we want to be able to put full games together and be as consistent as possible both at the same time,” Fox said. “It is not necessarily like a taking turns thing, but he hit like four in a row, and obviously that stuff gets tiring. He was like ‘Yo, you take it here.’ We were able to execute down the stretch, whatever play we wanted and whatever matchup we wanted.”
Up next
The Kings will wrap up a quick two-game road trip when they visit the San Antonio Spurs Monday at Frost Bank Center. Sacramento is 1-1 on the second night of a back-to-back this season.
The Spurs (4-6) are coming off a 111-110 loss to the Utah Jazz. Devin Vassell scored 21 points in his season debut after being sidelined for seventh months with a stress fracture in his foot.
The Spurs are led by Victor Wembanyama, the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year. Wembanyama averages 18.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.0 blocks, but he is shooting just 42.5% from the field and 28.2% from 3-point range on 7.1 attempts per game.
Jeremy Sochan averaged 15.4 points and 7.7 rebounds over the first seven games, but he is out after undergoing surgery to repair a broken thumb. Malaki Branham (10.0 ppg) is questionable with an ankle injury.
Chris Paul is averaging 10.3 points and 8.1 assists. Former Kings forward Harrison Barnes has started all 10 games for the Spurs, averaging 9.7 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Sacramento Kings schedule
Nov. 11 at San Antonio Spurs
Nov. 13 vs. Phoenix Suns
Nov. 15 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Nov. 16 vs. Utah Jazz
Nov. 18 vs. Atlanta Hawks
This story was originally published November 10, 2024 at 10:18 PM.
