Sabonis game-winning putback gives Kings 111-110 win over Miami

Nov 4, 2024, 7:54 PM

MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 04: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat controls the ball againat Malik Mo...

Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat controls the ball againat Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings during the first half at Kaseya Center on November 04, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sactown Sports writer

The Sacramento Kings wrapped up their first road trip of the 2024-25 NBA season with a 111-110 win over the Miami Heat in South Beach.

Usual starter Kevin Huerter was inactive for the second straight showing due to an illness. After starting veteran forward Doug McDermott in his place against the Raptors, Kings’ head coach Mike Brown elected to go with Keon Ellis Monday night.

As tends to usually be the case when playing against Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra, it was a messy showing for both sides, but foul trouble and poor three-point shooting nearly led to an unwanted end to their trip.

But their stars shined when needed and led them to a victory. The inactive list heading into Monday night’s action was as follows:

Sacramento

Kevin Huerter – OUT (illness)
Devin Carter – OUT (left shoulder surgery)
Orlando Robinson – OUT (left MCL sprain)
Mason Jones – OUT (G-League)
Isaiah Crawford – OUT (G-League)

Miami

Josh Christopher – OUT (G-League)
Keshad Johnson – OUT (G-League)

Pace is one of Sacramento’s five offensive staples, but Miami seemed to complicate their ability to achieve that style from the jump. In a more halfcourt game, DeMar DeRozan and De’Aaron Fox were taking matters into their own hands, driving into the paint to attempt to finish or spray out to shooters.

Plenty of lead changes ensued in the opening quarter, ending with a narrow 22-25 advantage to the Heat. The home squad knocked down five triples in the first compared to Sacramento’s. Unfortunately, that trend carried over into the next frame as well.

Before the shots persisted, key Kings members found themselves in foul trouble. Malik Monk, who picked up one foul in the first, committed two shooting fouls on Jimmy Butler just 61 seconds apart. He was left with three fouls by the 10:03 mark of the second.

That limited his opportunities (nine minutes in the first half), requiring Coach Brown to lean on Jordan McLaughlin in rare minutes that did not feature Monk or De’Aaron Fox.

McLaughlin corner trey? McLaughlin corner trey 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nE5w55CUWU

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 5, 2024

DeRozan knocked down a semi-contested mid-range shot with 2:58 left to cut the deficit to one, marking his 11th point of the quarter. That turned out to be their last made-field goal of the half.

The Heat went on a 13-1 run after that bucket, leaving them with a 61-48 advantage at the midway point. Not long into it, Sabonis tallied his third foul as well. Ellis also had three.

Miami was 11/20 from three, while Sacramento converted just 3/14 from deep.

The fifteen-minute halftime break seemed to benefit the Kings. They scored a quick 9-0 run in the third quarter, with Fox’s aggressiveness amped up on both ends of the floor. The star guard scored 16 of Sacramento’s first 25 points in the frame.

16 third-quarter points for De’Aaron 😈 pic.twitter.com/RE52w1F7tl

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 5, 2024

As a result, the entire team’s pace resurfaced, and their hesitation from three became minimized. Suddenly, Miami again looked like a team with unideal spacing while the Kings’ perimeter containment and physicality escalated.

You could keep listing positives, but nothing more represents their stellar quarter than the 37-17 margin accomplished in those twelve minutes. It wasn’t enough to blow the game wide open and call for any white flags to be waived, but they carried an 85-78 lead into the fourth.

But Jimmy Butler wouldn’t let his team roll over without a fight. He scored Miami’s first ten points of the fourth, and their physical brand of basketball returned. So did the foul calls, primarily against the Kings.

The similar back-and-forth feeling from the first returned. Sabonis, who has been more confident shooting from three this season, knocked down a wide-open triple with 3:30 remaining to tie the game at 96. From there, the stars took over for both sides.

DeRozan went on a run that included a pull-up jumper, a great jump pass assist to Sabonis, and a four-point play. In the process, he surpassed Charles Barkley for 29th on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaders list.

But, it was his teammates who stole the show in the final moments. Down three with 37.8 seconds left, Monk had a fierce slam, and the Kings got the stop on the other end.

That turned out to be the game-winner, but we gotta talk about this Malik Monk dunk too.

Just nasty. https://t.co/iIBBN3w3IF pic.twitter.com/bgVgYFHfMx

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) November 5, 2024

That left the Kings facing a one-point deficit with 9.1 seconds remaining, having just taken their final timeout. Monk inbounded to Fox, who drove left before reverse pivoting into a jumper around the nail. It missed. But the NBA’s back-to-back rebounding leader, Domantas Sabonis, was there to give them another shot.

An off-balance putback from Domantas Sabonis gives Sacramento a one-point lead with .7 sec left! pic.twitter.com/NdGn0FAZKT

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) November 5, 2024

Sacramento ends their first road trip of the 24-25 season with a 3-1 record having defeated the Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, and Miami Heat. Their lone loss came on the second night of a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors.

Sacramento:

Field Goal Percentage: 44/86 (51.2%)
Three-Point Percentage: 10/27 (37.0%)
Free-Throw Percentage: 13/15 (86.7%)
Points in the Paint: 54
De’Aaron Fox: 28 points, six rebounds, five assists on 11/21 FG, 3/6 3P, 3/4 FT
DeMar DeRozan: 26 points, six assists, three rebounds, two blocks on 10/18 FG, 1/2 3P, 5/5 FT
Domantas Sabonis: 16 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists on 6/12 FG, 2/4 3P, 2/2 FT — 1 GAME-WINNER

Toronto:

Field Goal Percentage: 37/85 (43.5%)
Three-Point Percentage: 15/36 (41.7%)
Free-Throw Percentage: 21/30 (70.0%)
Points in the Paint: 38
Jimmy Butler: 27 points, six assists, two rebounds, two steals on 9/19 FG, 1/2 3P, 8/11 FT
Tyler Herro: 27 points, six rebounds, three assists, one block on 9/18 FG, 5/11 3P, 4/5 FT