Fox, Monk, DeRozan come through in the clutch to help Kings top Grizzlies in wild shootout
Kings guard Malik Monk described the mood in the locker room after the Kings won their third game in a row under interim coach Doug Christie.
“We’re always happy, especially when I’m in the room,” Monk said. “There’s no ups and downs. Can’t be too high. Can’t be too low. We’ve got to keep working, but we’re happy for sure.”
DeMar DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox and Monk combined to score all 36 fourth-quarter points for the Kings in a 138-133 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The game got physical in the fourth quarter after the Grizzlies came back from a 15-point deficit to take the lead, but Monk’s energy and shotmaking ability gave the Kings the lift they needed.
“That’s who he is,” Christie said. “He’s a fantastic player. ... One thing I know about him, he’s not going to shrink in the moment. He’s going to let that thing fly.”
DeRozan scored 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter for the Kings (16-19), who are 3-1 since former coach Mike Brown was fired on Dec. 27.
Fox scored 23 points for Sacramento, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Trey Lyles had another good game off the bench, posting 16 points and six rebounds.
Rookie Jaylen Wells, a Sacramento native and former Folsom High School star, scored a career-high 30 points for the Grizzlies (23-12), who were missing star point guard Ja Morant.
Wells, playing his first NBA game in his hometown, went 11 of 16 from the field and 8 of 9 from 3-point range after going 3 of 21 (.143) from long distance in the past three games.
“It definitely felt good,” Wells said. “I mean, I hate to lose. Obviously, I’ve been missing a lot of 3s lately, last couple of games, so feels good to get my rhythm back. Just knowing that the team still has confidence in me, they kept feeding me, so shoutout to them. I wouldn’t be able to hit all those without them passing it to me.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 28 points for the Grizzlies. Desmond Bane had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Kings forward Keegan Murray missed his second game in a row due to left ankle soreness. Christie again chose to start Keon Ellis with De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis.
The Kings went 0 of 5 from the field before Monk hit a corner 3 to break the ice. That’s when the shootout started.
The Kings and Grizzlies combined for 53 field-goal attempts in the first quarter, 29 of them from 3-point range. The Kings made 10 of 18 (.556), tying their season high for 3-point goals in a quarter. The Grizzlies connected on 7 of 11 (.536).
Kings rookie Devin Carter made his NBA debut after missing the first 34 games while recovering from shoulder surgery. Carter received a standing ovation when he checked in for the first time with 3:53 to play in the opening period.
Sacramento was already leading 34-27 when Carter entered the game. The Kings outscored the Grizzlies 12-5 over the final 2:44 to open up a 46-32 lead, their second-highest scoring quarter of the season.
Carter had four rebounds and two assists in his first seven minutes of action. He showed how disruptive he can be on the defensive end from the moment he stepped on the court, flying around the floor to harass ballhandlers and contest shots.
“He gets at people,” Christie said.
When asked about his expectations for Carter before the game, Christie said: “I guess my expectation is greatness. I want him to be as great as he thinks he can be and put him in a position to do that, but no expectations like pressure. Just go and play your game and do what you do because he’s special at what he does.”
The Kings led 78-72 at the halftime break. They went up 87-72 after staging a 9-0 run to start the second half.
The Grizzlies came back to cut the deficit to two on a 3-pointer by Wells with 2:40 to play in the third quarter. The Kings led 102-100 going into the fourth.
The Grizzlies went up 110-109 after Fox was called for a flagrant 1 foul with 7:56 remaining. The Kings reclaimed the lead on a 3-pointer by Monk and never trailed again.
DeRozan went 5 of 7 from the field and 2 of 2 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter. Monk went 4 of 6 from the field and 3 of 3 from beyond the arc. Fox was just 2 of 6, but he made 7 of 8 free-throw attempts.
There were a couple of confrontations when the game got heated in the fourth quarter, but the Kings wouldn’t back down.
“That’s the game, man,” Monk said. “You want to play when it gets heated. You get to arguing. You get to talking stuff back and forth. I think that’s why you play basketball and we love it.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2025 at 10:54 PM.
