Kings vs. Rockets game highlights: Sacramento shows fight to beat Houston in NBA Cup game
The Kings finally showed some fight Tuesday night, storming back from an 11-point first-half deficit to beat the Houston Rockets 120-111 in an NBA Cup in-season tournament game at Golden 1 Center.
Domantas Sabonis had 27 points and seven rebounds for the Kings (10-12), who had lost six of seven and seven of nine.
Jalen Green had 28 points and seven rebounds for the Rockets (15-7), who had won 10 of 12.
The Kings will be back in action when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
Stat leaders
De’Aaron Fox had 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists for Sacramento. DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter and Isaac Jones also scored in double figures.
Alperen Sengun had 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Houston. Tari Eason added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Injury update
Huerter was cleared to play after being listed as questionable going into the game. Huerter missed Sunday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after going down with a right ankle sprain in Friday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Getting heated
Fox and Jabari Smith Jr. had to be separated during a heated exchange in the second quarter. Monk, Smith and Dillon Brooks were whistled for technical fouls as a result of the altercation. Brooks fouled out in the fourth quarter. Rockets coach Ime Udoka and Sengun were later ejected.
Halftime report
The Rockets went up by nine in the first quarter and led by as many as 11 in the second, but the Kings cut the deficit to one after a fired-up Fox fueled an 11-1 run over the final 1:54.
Green led all scorers with 16 points in the first half. Fox had 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Both teams shot 46.7% in the opening half. The Kings hit 41.2% from 3-point range while the Rockets shot 33.3%.
Second-half momentum
The Kings outscored the Rockets 24-9 to start the third quarter, going up 78-64 on a basket by DeRozan. They went up by as many as 15 in the third and carried a 96-84 lead into the fourth after Monk hit a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer.
The Rockets came back to cut the deficit to six on a jumper by Fred VanVleet with 8:06 to play. Huerter and Monk hit 3-pointers to help the Kings regain control before Sabonis went to work inside to help put the game away.
Up next
The Kings will head out on a short two-game road trip to face the Grizzlies on Thursday and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
The Grizzlies (14-8) had won six in a row before suffering a 121-116 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. They are led by Jaren Jackson Jr., who is averaging 22.4 points and 5.9 rebounds, and Ja Morant, who averages 21.1 points and 9.0 assists.
Upcoming schedule
Dec. 5 at Memphis Grizzlies
Dec. 6 at San Antonio Spurs
Dec. 8 vs. Utah Jazz
Dec. 12 at New Orleans Pelicans
Dec. 16 vs. Denver Nuggets
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 9:34 PM.
