Closing Time: Fox, Sabonis come up big in Kings’ fifth-straight win

Mar 3, 2023, 11:30 PM | Updated: 11:35 pm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 03: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after they beat t...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

It wasn’t another double-overtime thriller, but Friday night’s matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers had plenty of juice.

Domantas Sabonis’ late free-throws gave the Kings a slim 128-127 win over the reeling Clippers as Sacramento improved to 5-0 since returning from the All-Star break.

The win was an important one for the Kings, as they pulled themselves within one game of the second-seed Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings with 20 games left in the regular season. Sacramento (37-25) also won its third game against Los Angeles, securing any tie-breaker scenario if the two teams finish the season with the same record.

After Friday’s game, it will be tough for the Clippers to catch the streaking Kings as they sit six games back (eight games in the loss column) of Sacramento in the standings.

Kings hold off the Clippers late 👑

What an ending. pic.twitter.com/rafDOyawBH

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 4, 2023

In a first half that was overshadowed by 23 foul calls, the Kings and Clippers were neck-and-neck until Kevin Huerter checked back in during the second quarter.

Huerter, who had picked up three quick fouls over the first three minutes of play, got hot from the field (11 of his 14 first-half points came in the second) to help lead Sacramento to a 68-63 advantage at the break.

Entering the second half, one pressing question was being asked around media row:

“Will De’Aaron Fox end the game with 30 points?”

We quickly got an answer to that question as the first-time All-Star scored 11 points during the third quarter. Once play entered the fourth, you knew that Fox would continue to put his head down and hammer away at the Clippers’ defense in regular ‘Mr. Fourth Quarter’ fashion, and that’s precisely what happened down the final stretch.

Fox scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to give the Kings an 11-point lead with five minutes to go, but that’s when Paul George stepped in and made a sold-out Golden 1 Center crowd begin to bite its nails.

George diced up Sacramento’s defense down the final stretch, scoring 13 of his 28 points in the fourth and erasing the Kings’ once-secure lead. After George’s go-ahead lay-in with 33 seconds remaining, Sacramento needed another late-game clutch bucket from Fox.

This turnover changed the game 😬 pic.twitter.com/5o3mKMhBHH

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 4, 2023

Fox’s go-ahead attempt rimmed out, and the Kings’ defense swarmed the Clippers in the back-court as the clock neared an eight-second violation. However, the officials missed the eight-second call, and Eric Gordon advanced the ball into the front court and swung a pass cross-court to Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook, who had been a thorn in Sacramento’s side all night, let the ball slip through his fingers and into the front row of the stands as the Kings regained possession with 15 seconds to go.

After the costly blunder by Los Angeles, the game was there for the taking, and this time, Sacramento wouldn’t squander the opportunity.

A game-winning attempt from Fox rimmed out, but Sabonis was pushed in the back and awarded with a trip to the foul line with seven seconds on the clock. The Kings had started the night 24-for-24 from the charity stripe, and the three-time All-Star in Sabonis wouldn’t be the one to bring that streak to an end.

Sabonis calmly knocked down both free throws, and the Clippers were forced to go the entire court length with no timeouts. Fox picked up George full-court and contested the final attempt, one that would hit front iron as time expired, and 18,111 in attendance simultaneously cheered while breathing a sigh of relief.

The Sacramento Kings have played in five games that have been decided by one point this season–and they have won all of them.

Golden 1 Center is going to be WILD for the rest of the season. pic.twitter.com/2gh6tU5ARj

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) March 4, 2023

“To get one, two possession game experience in finding ways to get the win is invaluable because come playoff time, those games are usually a dogfight and you’ve got to find ways to win down the stretch,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said of his team’s closing effort. “I do truly believe it’s going to benefit us long term.”

The Kings continue to keep pace in the deep West, as they picked up games on the Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers when it comes to creating space between the teams that are beneath them in the standings.

Thanks to top-seed Denver’s win over the second-seed Grizzlies, Sacramento can pull themselves within a half-game of Memphis with a win on Saturday night. Each game is more important than the last, and Golden 1 Center is expected to be a madhouse as this Kings team inches closer to ending a 17-year playoff drought.

“This is like a playoff atmosphere every night,” Kevin Huerter said of the atmosphere on Friday night. “The only thing missing is handing out t-shirts and maybe some towels.”

Huerter has bounced back over the past two games after a rough month of February, as the guard scored 18 points on three-of-four shooting from beyond the three-point line over only 22 minutes. ‘Red Velvet’ battled foul trouble early in the game, but the 24-year-old’s big second quarter helped the Kings recover from a sluggish start to the night.

Of course, the second half belonged to De’Aaron Fox, and once Huerter passed the baton to the speedy guard, the game’s tone dramatically swung Sacramento’s way.

Fourth Quarter Fox pushes the lead to 11, the Kings largest of the night 🦊 pic.twitter.com/5cQDLDzpDI

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 4, 2023

Fox scored 23 of his 33 points during the second half, becoming the third player in Kings franchise history to score 30+ points in 8+ straight games, joining Hall of Fame guards Oscar Robertson (six times) and Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald. The 25-year-old also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out seven assists over 34 minutes.

Only two other players have scored 30+ points in 8+ straight games this season, and you might have heard of them: Luka Doncic (nine-straight games) and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Speaking of Sacramento Kings history, Domantas Sabonis became just the third player in the Sacramento era (1985-present) to rack up 50 double-doubles in a single season, joining DeMarcus Cousins (53, 2013-14) and Chris Webber (1999-00).

Sabonis finished the night with 23 points (10-of-13 shooting), ten rebounds, and seven assists over 35 minutes in another incredible showing by the All-Star center.

Sleep tight, Kings fans. See you tomorrow for another 48 minutes of fun.

Notes

Sacramento finished tonight’s game vs. LAC going 26-for-26 from the free-throw line, setting a new single-game franchise record for most free throws made without a miss. The Kansas City Kings held the previous record, going 25-of-25 at the line vs. SAS on Mar. 24, 1984.
Keegan Murray knocked down four of his nine three-point attempts, becoming fifth rookie in NBA history to make 4+ three-point field goals in 16 or more games.
The Kings are now 13-5 this season when Harrison Barnes scores 20+ points
This is just the second time that the Kings have won a season series against the Clippers since the 2009-10 season. Sacramento took two of three games against Los Angeles during the 2019-20 season.
Sacramento holds a 2-17 record vs. the Clippers at ARCO/Sleep Train/Golden 1 Center since April 2013. The previous win came on December 4, 2021.

Next Game

Sacramento’s four-game home stand will continue on Saturday night as the Kings will play the second game of a back-to-back against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden 1 Center.

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Timberwolves coverage right here on Sactown Sports 1140 beginning at 5:30 PM PST on Game Night with Scott Marsh and Henry ‘The High Flyer’ Turner before a 7:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown Sacramento.