What we learned as Monk, DeRozan fuel Kings’ win vs. gritty Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
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SACRAMENTO — After a three-game road trip, the Kings returned home Thursday night to face the Western Conference’s second-place Houston Rockets and escaped with a thrilling yet narrow 132-127 win on national television at Golden 1 Center.
After leading for most of the game, the gritty Rockets kept fighting to the final seconds.
Kings center Domantas Sabonis fouled out of the game with 1:19 left, but Sacramento managed to pull out the win against one of the NBA’s top teams.
The big victory gives interim head coach Doug Christie an 8-2 record since taking over at the helm on Dec. 28.
Malik Monk, who missed Tuesday’s loss with an ankle injury, returned to the starting lineup Thursday — and boy, was he missed. From start to finish, Monk helped the Kings cross the finish line and ended up with 28 points.
DeMar DeRozan did DeMar DeRozan things in a tense fourth quarter, with 14 points in the final frame and 31 total. A game-high 31 points on 12 of 23 shooting from the field and 2 of 4 from 3-point range, with five rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes.
Domantas Sabonis had 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting, adding 14 rebounds, seven assists and one block in 38 minutes.
Here are the takeaways from the win:
Missing Malik
The Kings certainly missed the services of their energetic guard in Tuesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, and his impact was even more evident Thursday night.
After a couple turnovers and misses from both teams, it took one minute and 29 seconds for the first basket to be made. That came from none other than Monk.
And he kept it rolling throughout.
While it’s well known that his contagious spirit impacts his teammates both on and off the floor, his impact might not help anyone more than it does Sabonis.
The two-man game unlocks plenty of offense for each other and even others around them.
In Tuesday’s loss to Milwaukee, it was the first time Sabonis had less than 10 field-goal attempts since Nov. 13’s game against the Phoenix Suns. That’s largely because he didn’t have his pick-and-roll partner feeding him in the paint.
Monk finished with 28 points on 10 of 19 shooting, with three rebounds, nine assists and one steal in 37 minutes.
Dominant Domas
Sabonis, the Western Conference Player of the Week for his play last week, continued his dominant play Thursday.
By halftime, he had recorded his 36th double-double of the season.
In the second quarter alone, he had 12 points and didn’t miss any field goal he attempted.
He was also dealing with the heavy task of defending Rockets center Alperen Şengün, who is averaging nearly 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists this season.
On Thursday night, Şengün finished with 21 points but was a minus-21 in plus/minus rating in 34 minutes.
Meanwhile, Sabonis was three assists shy of a triple-double, with 20, 14 and seven.
Keon exits with ankle injury
Ellis has played significant minutes for Sacramento recently, especially with recent injuries to Fox and Monk.
His defensive prowess was back on the G1C floor Thursday, but he left the game early with an ankle injury.
The incident occurred in the third quarter when he stepped on Sabonis’ foot and rolled his ankle at the 3:17 mark of the frame. He appeared to be in a lot of pain while remaining on the floor holding onto his ankle. He eventually was helped off the floor and headed to the locker room.
He was ruled out for the remainder of the game moments later.
Ellis exited with six points on two made 3s in 11 minutes off the bench.
The severity of the injury is unknown at this time, but if Ellis misses significant time, that would be a tough blow for the Kings.
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