Kings 132, Lakers 127 (OT): Showtime Starring De’Aaron Fox

Sunday night was a true Kings v. Lakers classic, reminiscent of all too many contests of this rivalry past – and the combination of a star game from De’Aaron Fox and a whole-team effort in overtime earned Sacramento a 132-127 victory in OT, securing their first win at home and improving their record to 2-1 in this young season.

De’Aaron Fox scored 37 points and 8 assists (14-24 shooting) and was the clear star on the court across the majority of the contest. But as the game went into overtime, he was stuck on the bench with an ankle injury, and fellow All-NBA teammate Domantas Sabonis sat near him, having fouled out in the final minutes of regulation. It took big shots from their teammates to secure the victory, as Malik Monk scored 11 points in overtime and Kevin Huerter hit the game-sealing dagger three with 32 seconds to go.

With 7:27 left in the 4th quarter and with the Kings trailing 99-97, Fox rolled his ankle on a drive and stalled the heartbeats of everyone in the Golden 1 Center for a few minutes. Fox then walked to the locker room but missed less than a minute of playing time before coming back out to the bench and igniting the Kings crowd. He clearly wasn’t 100%, but he kept the throttle at 100% – scoring 8 points after the injury as he tried to keep the Kings’ momentum going. As the game stretched into OT, Fox had to go to the bench, but saw his buddy Monk help secure the game in his absence. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for injury updates, but Fox seems likely to miss at least a game or two.

On the 20th anniversary since his NBA career started at Arco Arena in 2003, LeBron James hit the game-tying shot with 12.9 seconds to go in regulation that knotted the score at 115-115 a piece. Fox drew the defense on the ensuing play and Keegan Murray had an open look at a deep three, but it bounced off at the buzzer and sent the game to OT. LeBron finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, and 8 turnovers in the loss for the Lakers, while Anthony Davis had 30 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks. The Kings led the entire game until early in the 4th quarter, and the physical, veteran Lakers squad had their own shots to take over the game in both regulation and in overtime; but where Sacramento sank their late-game threes, Los Angeles did not.

Sabonis finished the game with 12 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists, before fouling out late in regulation. Monk had 22 points, 11 of which came in OT, and Murray finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

The Kings floored the accelerator from the jump, pushing the pace and attacking the basket with physicality and success. Sabonis and Fox led the charge, combined for 6 of the Kings first 7 field goals and both knocking down their first threes of the contest. After Keegan was blocked at the rim twice against Davis in the first few minutes, De’Aaron attacked the basket and neutralized Davis with a gorgeous fake and layup. 9 of the 10 Kings who played in the quarter scored (aside from Murray), and 12 of their 16 buckets in the period were assisted. The period ended with a highlight hammer drop from JaVale McGree and a 41-28 lead for Sacramento. Much like two nights ago against the Warriors, the Kings lead shrank and eventually evaporated in the second half – but unlike that contest, the Kings showed up in the clutch.

The Kings will finish the local rivalry sandwich of games on Wednesday when they travel to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors.

Game Notes:

• Kevin Huerter had a terrific game, even if he was just 4-12 from the field. He finished the contest with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks to go with his 12 points. He had some impressive rebounds against Davis in the paint, and had a highlight block against the big man on a drive. His mentality and defensive tenacity was excellent tonight, and his three pointer with 32 seconds left in OT helped secure the victory.
• Keegan Murray finished with an impressive stat line, but had some bumps in the road on both ends of the court. Late in the second period, he passed up a three point attempt from a Sabonis dribble-hand off that had Mike Brown frustrated. Midway through the third, Keegan passed up another open look, which had Brown even more incensed. Brown called for Sasha Vezenkov to enter for Murray, but on the very next play, Keegan hit a three, and Brown signaled Sasha right back to the bench.
• Vezenkov had another strong outing, and finished 11 points (including 2 threes) and 4 boards in 18 minutes, the 2nd most minutes of any reserve behind Monk.  He was active on defense, showing quick hands on the perimeter, and blocked Rui Hachimura in the paint.