TD on TNT: Davis’ huge night paces Kings to 153-point outburst in win over Nets

Nov 15, 2022, 9:55 PM | Updated: Nov 16, 2022, 12:39 am

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 15: Terence Davis #3 of the Sacramento Kings reacts during their ...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Coming into Tuesday night’s game, Sacramento Kings fans were hopeful that their team would show up in a big way as they made their first appearance on a TNT broadcast in over two years.

Talk about showing up.

Not only did the Kings hold their own against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets, they completely dismantled their opponent as they coasted to a 153-121 win in front of a lively Golden 1 Center crowd.

That’s right–153 points, the most that Sacramento has scored in a single game since January 2, 1993. The 153 points also established a new Golden 1 Center record, one that was made possible by a Kings offense that shot 60 percent from the field and 48 percent from beyond the arc.

With the win, Sacramento claimed its fourth-straight win (the franchise’s first four-game winning streak since May of 2021) and they did it in style by pummeling the Nets in front of a national TV audience.

The Kings (7-6) have won seven of their past nine games after starting the season with four-straight losses. That’s how you dig yourself out of an early-season hole.

TNTD 💪
@terencedavisjr is now up to 21 PTS (5-6 3PT) in the game. pic.twitter.com/WNYzDNdROA

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 16, 2022

You wouldn’t have guessed that Tuesday’s game would end this way when things were deadlocked at 40-40 with 8:31 remaining in the first half, but things drastically shifted as the Kings completely ran away with things thanks to an unbelievable performance from its offense.

Thanks to an energized stretch of play from Terence Davis, Sacramento ended the second quarter on a 33-14 run to take a 19-point lead into the break, but that would just be the beginning.

One quarter removed from scoring 37 points, the Kings scored 42 points during the third quarter as they shot 70% from the field while increasing its lead over Brooklyn to 33–Sacramento’s largest lead of the season. When play entered the fourth quarter, the Kings had already scored 115 points, just one point shy of their per-game season average (116.8).

When a game is completely in the bag before the fourth quarter has even started, you know that everything went well.

Terence Davis was a massive reason that the game was out of reach before play entered the final period as the 25-year-old did an incredible job stepping up in light of Keegan Murray’s exit due to injury. Davis scored 10 points and swiped three steals within his first 10 minutes of playing time as it became clear early that the Kings guard was on his way to a big night.

Davis finished the night with 31 points on 12-of-16 (tied career-high in made field goals) shooting from the field and seven-of-ten shooting from beyond the arc while also pulling down nine rebounds, dishing out four assists, and grabbing three steals.

“TD was fantastic,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said of Davis’ performance postgame. “I coach all of our guys pretty hard, and he is the most responsive guy that I have been around. Tonight, he flourished on both ends of the floor.”

During a game where De’Aaron Fox (14 points) was kept in check, players like Davis, Kevin Huerter (19 points), and Domantas Sabonis paved the way for a Kings team that had seven players finish the night with 12 points or more.

a pest in the post 😤💪
@dsabonis11 | #RoarWithUs pic.twitter.com/MuMz0AnI74

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 16, 2022

Huerter drilled five of his seven three-point field goal attempts, while Sabonis was a perfect six-for-six from the field over just 28 minutes of action. Sacramento out-rebounded Brooklyn (42-29), dished out a season-high 39 assists, and completely dominated this game from the get, aside from a Nets run at the end of the first quarter.

Sabonis and Fox combined for 31 points on a night that the Kings scored 153 points. That itself is simply incredible.

Following Sacramento’s fourth-straight loss to begin the season, Brown preached to the media that he felt his team was on the cusp of breaking through. As Brown put it, he was seeing positive things out of the Kings that “didn’t show up in the box score”.

As it would turn out, Brown was right.

The Kings made the jump to eighth in the Western Conference standings while improving their point differential to +2.5 on the year–good enough for fifth-best in the West.

It’s still early, but Sacramento continues to prove that this isn’t your normal Kings team. Night in and night out, this team has shown that they will not be an easy matchup for any opposing NBA franchise. De’Aaron Fox said it best postgame:

“We feel like every game is winnable regardless of who we’re playing.”

Injury Updates

Keegan Murray (back) exited the game during the second quarter after showing some discomfort after making an effort to pick off a Brooklyn pass. The rookie jogged to the locker room with general manager Monte McNair right behind him before the team eventually ruled him out for the remainder of the game.

Murray’s injury isn’t believed to be serious, but the rookie will be further evaluated on Wednesday. His status is considered day-to-day for Thursday’s game against San Antonio.

Coming Up

The home stand will continue on Thursday for Sacramento when they face the San Antonio Spurs.

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs Spurs coverage on Sactown Sports 1140 starting at 3:00 pm PST on Cattles & Ramie before action tips off at 7:00 pm PST from downtown Sacramento.

Check out our Sactown Sports Kings Recap Show on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube channel!

Sactown Sports Kings Recap Shows will be happening all season long, immediately following each Kings game!