Kings post highest scoring total of the season to beat Spurs. DeRozan reaches rare milestone
The Sacramento Kings needed a clean win after a string of frustrating losses. They needed to get their 3-point shooting on track. They needed production from the bench after it got outscored by 45 points the previous night in Memphis.
All of which made their performance on Friday in San Antonio a welcomed one. They outclassed the Spurs, who were missing star big man Victor Wembanyama, 140-113. It was Sacramento’s third win in their last 10 games — and their first double-digit victory since Nov. 27 in Minnesota.
Their 140 points was the most scored by the Kings the season, 12 points more than their overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors Nov. 2. Sacramento on Friday shot 16-of-34 from the 3-point line (47%).
The Kings had four starters with at least 20 points while Kevin Huerter had one of his best games in weeks off the bench, and Keon Ellis was inserted back into the rotation and made a case to stay in it after going unused the previous two games.
DeRozan joins rare group with milestone
Former Spur DeMar DeRozan had a team-high 23 points. He reached 24,000 career points with a free throw early in the second quarter, becoming the 30th player in NBA history to reach the milestone and the sixth active player to do so. He joined LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry. Curry reached the mark on Saturday.
“It’s always amazing, any type of milestone you can reach,” DeRozan said. “Just to think about the history of the league, being top-30 all-time in scoring, and still having the opportunity to add to that. It’s beyond humbling. I never would have imagined this coming into the league (that) I’d be up there with some of the greatest players that have ever played this game. For me it’s definitely humbling, and it just says a lot about my career.”
Domantas Sabonis took advantage of the San Antonio’s depleted front court with 22 points and 16 rebounds. De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk each scored 22 points and combined to shoot 50% from the floor.
DeRozan joined Fox to create one of the most potent late scoring duos in the NBA after the two had been among the league leaders in clutch points during the past three seasons. DeRozan’s work on and off the floor has rubbed off on his new teammates.
“He makes it look easy,” Fox said. “Even without shooting a lot of 3s, just the way that he’s able to get to his spot for so many years. ... Teams are always telling people not to jump on pump fakes, not to foul. He still finds a way.”
Huerter had 16 points and made all four of his 3-point attempts. Huerter came into the game shooting a career-worst 27% from the 3-point line and the continues have continued to stick with him in the rotation despite his struggles.
Huerter’s shooting has been emblematic of Sacramento’s struggles as a team. Before Friday the Kings entered the game 26th in made 3s and 25th in percentage.
“It’s only a matter of time,” Huerter said about his mindset. “I think there’s got to be continued belief and trust in this locker room that all of us in this locker room, myself included, can continue to shoot at a higher level. Shots are going to fall. If we continue to do the right things, the process to get those shots remain strong, we put in the work to do it, they’re going to start falling.”
Julian Champagnie in the first half scored 19 while going 5-of-8 from 3-point range for San Antonio. He finished with a game-high 30 points while no other Spur had more than Stephon Castle’s 15. The Kings had a 10-point lead at halftime and didn’t look back. They outscored San Antonio 71-54 in the second half.
The Spurs were without Wembanyama for the second straight night due to bilateral low back soreness and shooting guard Devin Vassell with a right foot injury. The Spurs and the Kings were both playing on the second night of back to backs.
Zach Collins, in the starting lineup replacing Wembanyama, was ejected at the 9:07 mark after getting two technical fouls, and then flipped off the referees on his way off the court. It left San Antonio with Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili as their remaining big men.
Collins hit Sabonis in the face in the first quarter that caused him to leave the game temporarily. Sabonis afterwards was sporting a hockey-player like smile while he missed half of his front left tooth.
“Domas battled the whole night,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “Huge double-double from him on a back to back.”
Brown explains Keon Ellis’ lack of playing time
Before the game, Brown was asked about his use of Ellis off the Kings’ bench. Ellis has been out of Brown’s rotation over the previous two games, receiving a DNP Tuesday against the Rockets and getting 2:21 of playing time in the second half of Thursday’s loss in Memphis: 58 seconds in the third quarter and then 1:22 in the fourth. He didn’t take a shot.
Brown moved Ellis back into the rotation Friday, giving him nine minutes in the first half on the second night of their back to back. He made one of his three shots from long range, and Sacramento outscored the Spurs by 23 points while he was on the floor. Ellis had two steals, a block and an assist to Huerter for a fast break layup.
Ellis on the night played 21 minutes and had 3 points, three assists, four steals and a block. He was plus-32.
“I don’t overreact to anything,” Ellis said when asked about his head space amid falling out of the rotation. “I just try to stay the course. It’s honestly that simple.”
Brown’s rotation had been predominately eight players since Monk was elevated to the starting lineup Sunday and as the team added Jae Crowder just before Thanksgiving. Ellis has been on the wrong side of those rotation changes, despite leading the team’s regulars by shooting 44% from 3-point range, which is notable given Sacramento ranked 25th in 3-point percentage at just 33.2% before Friday.
Additionally, Sacramento’s bench ranked 27th in scoring (25.3 points per game). The Kings’ reserves were outscored 60-15 against the Grizzlies.
Brown indicated he prefers to give Huerter minutes and that playing Ellis would require him going smaller, which could prove difficult given the team is still without reserve power forward Trey Lyles, with Isaac Jones backing up the power forward and center spots.
“Again, starting Malik (Monk), he’s going to command more minutes,” Brown said. “We’re trying to play Kevin (Huerter) more. We’re trying to be a little bigger with Isaac (Jones) and Jae (Crowder). So there hasn’t been a ton of minutes (for Ellis).
“Now, I can take minutes away from one of those guys to try to get him out on the floor. But it’s just, right now, it’s a minutes thing, based on who I’m playing. Because you get guys that are, particularly Kevin, who should try to hopefully get a lot of minutes, coming off the bench. Either I shorten his minutes, or I play smaller with DeMar (DeRozan) at the four at times. And so that’s something that we’ve been kind of juggling.”
Huerter’s name has been circulated in trade rumors and could be someone the Kings look to move before February’s trade deadline. His $16.8 million salary this year and $17.9 million for 2025 might be required for Sacramento to send to another team to make an upgrade via trade. And it would be logical for the Kings to try to get Huerter on a better shooting roll to increase his value rather than relegate him to the bench in favor of Ellis.
But Huerter has struggled to get into a shooting rhythm since the season began. He hasn’t had consecutive games with multiple made 3s since Oct. 29 and Nov. 1. He’s made multiple 3s just four times in the past 15 games, and is shooting 23% from distance over that stretch.
That changed on Friday. Huerter had his highest scoring game since Nov. 18 when he scored 18 points and made five 3s in a home win over Utah. The Kings were plus-23 during Huerter’s 24 minutes against the Spurs.
Brown said Huerter’s playing time has been decided by “if he’s defending, if he’s play making. If he’s doing the little things out there. And he’s done a decent job of it.”
There’s a hope internally the Kings’ shooting woes could turn sooner rather than later. They’re hitting just 27.4% on “open” 3-pointers with defenders four-to-six feet away, according to the NBA’s statistic tracking. Huerter was shooting 23%, Keegan Murray is 17.4%, Fox is shooting 30.4% and DeRozan is shooting 7.1% on open 3s.
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 7:50 PM.
