Late call helps Sacramento Kings beat Chicago Bulls to keep their winning streak alive
There were 28 lead changes and 13 ties, but the Sacramento Kings escaped with their seventh straight victory in an afternoon affair against the Chicago Bulls, 124-119, Sunday at the United Center.
The Bulls called timeout with 14.1 seconds remaining down 122-119, but Josh Giddy couldn’t inbound the ball while the Kings’ defense swarmed and they were called for a five-second violation. Domantas Sabonis hit a pair of free throws after getting fouled to put the game away.
De’Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan combined for 18 points in the fourth quarter and the Kings won the second game of their three-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams.
De’Aaron Fox’s return from injury
Fox played for the first time nine days. And after injuring himself on a dunk attempt, his first bucket was an easy, two-handed dunk off a Sabonis assist early in the first quarter.
Fox finished with 26 points and nine rebounds while going 9 of 16 from the floor, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. He scored nine points in the fourth quarter. He hit one of the biggest shots in the game at the third quarter buzzer when he nailed a 3 from the left corner to give Sacramento a 97-95 lead going into the fourth quarter, and turned around and had words for the Bulls bench.
Stat leaders
For the Bulls, Zach LaVine finished with 36 points, giving him at least 30 in six straight games and seven of his last eight. Nikola Vučević had 18 points and eight rebounds.
DeRozan, making his return to Chicago, had 21 points with nine coming in the fourth quarter. Sabonis finished with 22 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists after his career-high 28-rebound night Friday in Boston.
Malik Monk added 18 points and Keegan Murray had 14.
Attacking the rim
The Kings had 34 points in the paint in the first half. It put them on pace to break their previous season high over a full game, 64, coming Nov. 27 in their road victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
They finished with 56 points in the paint, tied for the eighth most on the season.
DeRozan returns to Chicago for the first time
The six-time All-Star made his return to Chicago Sunday for the first time since Sacramento acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal in July. DeRozan spoke to The Bee about how he wished things had gone differently during his three-year run with the Bulls, who never finished better than sixth in the Eastern Conference.
DeRozan was an All-Star in two of his three seasons in Chicago in 2022 and 2023. He’s considered the best free-agent addition in Bulls history, though he technically joined the team via sign-and-trade from the San Antonio Spurs in 2021.
DeRozan received a standing ovation during pregame introductions and the Bulls showed a video montage in the arena during the first timeout.
Doug Christie’s history with Zach LaVine
LaVine, a two-time All-Star, entered Sunday with five consecutive 30-point games and is averaging 32.8 points since the calendar flipped to 2025. LaVine came in shooting a career-best 44.4% from 3 on the year.
LaVine is from Bothell, Washington, just outside of Seattle, where interim Kings coach Doug Christie is from. Christie knew of LaVine during his high school days.
“I expect nothing less from the neighborhood guys,” Christie said of LaVine’s recent play. “Just seeing him, this kid from Bothell, trying to figure out, who is this? And then once I saw him and I’ve gotten to know him a little bit. I’m super (supportive) always of kids who come out of that area. Me, kind of being the first one, everyone kind of went to Oregon and California to get all the talent. They never really came to Washington. ... But an incredible, incredible talent. Really proud of what he’s done.”
LaVine went to the same high school as renowned Seattle-area native Jamal Crawford. LaVine is part of a large contingent of NBA players since Christie and Crawford’s era, which includes Paolo Banchero, Tari Eason, Michael Porter Jr., Brandon Roy, Jason Terry and Nate Robinson.
Injury report
Fox was cleared to play roughly an hour before tipoff Sunday following his early on-court warmups. It was the first time he played since sustaining a contusion to his right glute when he fell hard after getting fouled by Memphis big man Jaren Jackson Jr. on a dunk attempt on Jan. 3.
The Bulls were missing guard Coby White due to a cervical strain. Chicago coach Billy Donovan said before the game White had a stiff neck stemming from Friday’s win over the Washington Wizards. Chicago had Patrick Williams available after his status was uncertain because of an elbow injury.
Halftime report
The teams hit the break with the Bulls leading 63-61. There were 11 lead changes and 10 ties. DeRozan had 10 points. Sabonis had nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Malik Monk led the Kings in scoring with 13 points. Fox had nine points and five rebounds.
For the Bulls, LaVine and Nikola Vučević each had 13 points. Lonzo Ball had 12 while going 4 of 5 from 3. The Kings had 34 points in the paint and 18 assists on 24 made baskets.
Standings update
The Kings are ninth in the Western Conference. They have moved up three spots from 12th during their winning streak.
Up next
The Kings will finish their three-game road trip Tuesday in Milwaukee, nearly a year to the day after their overtime loss to the Bucks that ended on a Damian Lillard last-second 3-pointer. After that game, former coach Mike Brown had one of the more memorable press conferences of his tenure when he brought a laptop for an impromptu video session to discuss officiating. Brown was ejected in the game for arguing with referees.
The Kings will return home on Thursday for a game against the Houston Rockets that will be nationally televised on TNT.
This story was originally published January 12, 2025 at 3:03 PM.
