J-Speaks: Statement Victory In A Historic Shootout By The Boys From Sactown

Currently in the stacked Western Conference all five teams in the Pacific Division are in Playoff Contention. For nearly the entire season, especially after the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline, the boys from the “Valley of the Sun;” Both squads that call L.A. home and the defending champs from the “Bay Area” have been in the headlines through the good, bad, and ugly moments they have faced this season. The team from capital city of California that has played consistently this season and on Friday night made a major statement to not just L.A. other team but the entire NBA.

In their second game post All-Star break, the Sacramento Kings (34-25) won at the Los Angeles Clippers (33-30) 176-175 in double-overtime in the second-highest total scoring game of 351 points in NBA history. The 370 total points in triple-overtime between the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets, which the Pistons won 186-184 on Dec. 13, 1983 tops the contest between the Kings and Clippers as the highest scoring total game in NBA history.

The Kings at the Clippers was just the second time in NBA history (76 seasons) where both teams scored at least 170 points. The Kings and Clippers represented just the sixth and seven teams in NBA history to score 170 points in a regular season game. The combined 44 made three-pointers by the Kings (18/41 3-Pt.) and Clippers (26/45 3-Pt.) most in a game in NBA history.

“From a fan’s standpoint, I can see how this game would have been a lot of fun to watch,” Kings first-year head coach Mike Brown said after the win. “There was unbelievable shot making and great defense. There was high-level talent that was on display. Kudos to our players.”

To put into higher context how impressive the Kings, who have won four more games than they did a season ago (30-52), this was their second win of the season at the Clippers in the first three meetings, winning the first meeting 111-109 on Oct. 22, 2022 at Crypto.com Arena. They increased their lead to 3.5 games over the No. 5 Seeded Clippers in the Pacific Division. They lead the reigning Pacific Division champion Phoenix Suns (33-29) by three games.

The highest scoring game in Kings history was in large part to the former University of Kentucky Wildcat teammates in Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox.

Monk scored a career-high 45 points off the bench with six assists on 15/24 shooting, including 6/12 from three-point range and 9/10 at the foul line off the bench. The former Charlotte Hornet and Los Angeles Lakers guard’s 45 points tied fifth most off the bench in a game in NBA history.

Fox had his 10^th double-double on the season with 42 points and 12 assists with five boards on 17/27 from the field with five steals.

Domantas Sabonis, who earned his third career All-Star selection this season had 20 points and 10 rebounds on 8/14 shooting for his 38^th double-double in his last four games and his league-leading 47^th double-double on the season. Rookie Keegan Murray chipped in with 15 points while veteran forward Harrison Barnes had 11 points, six rebounds and two steals while Kevin Huerter also had 11 points and two steals on 3/7 from three-point range.

On this night that featured the Clippers debut of perennial All-Star and 2017 Kia MVP Russell Westbrook, who was dealt to the Utah Jazz from the Los Angeles Lakers at the trade deadline and then bought out of his deal, days later, it was the Kings that stole the show, particularly in the closing moments of the fourth quarter and in the two overtime sessions.  

The Kings overcame a 14-point deficit with 4:25 left in the final period and were down 11 points with three minutes left forced four Clippers turnovers on five possessions that was capped by a corner three-pointer by Monk with 01.1 seconds left.

In the first overtime, the Clippers led 162-158 with 2:54 left and scores by Monk on a dunk and a jumper by Fox tied it at 162-162. Monk hit a pair of free throws that tied it at 164-164 with 20.4 seconds left in the first overtime. The potential game-winner by Clippers perennial All-Star Paul George at the end of the first OT was short at the buzzer.

The Clippers jumped ahead in the second overtime 173-169 with 2:17 left and jumped ahead 175-169 behind a pair of free throws by reserve wing Norman Powell. The Kings after Westbrook fouled out late in the second overtime, the Kings scored what would be the final seven points of second overtime capped by the eventual game-winning 19-foot jumper by Fox that put the Kings ahead 176-175 with 36.5 seconds left.

That jumper capped a stellar night by Fox and Monk, who became the first Kings teammates to score 40 in a game. The Kings became the third team in NBA history to have a 40-point scorer from a starter and from a reserve.

“We just stuck with it. We got down  12 at one point but just had our heads up,” Monk said after the win. “We knew they were going to let us back in.”

Fox became the 12 player since 1973-74 NBA season with 40 points, 10 assists, and five steals in a game, when steals became an official stat. The last to go 40/10/5 was 76ers perennial All-Star and 2018 Kia MVP James Harden in 2019 with Houston Rockets.

Fox and Monk are the second pair of teammates this NBA season to have two players score 40 in same game. The other tandem to do it was All-Star Donovan Mitchell and reserve guard/forward Caris LeVert of the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-25).

The Kings needed every bit of the production they got from their star trio of Monk, Fox, and Sabonis to overcome the Clippers 60.2 percent shooting (59/98 FGs), aforementioned 26/45 from three-point range and 31/36 at the foul line with 39 assists on 59 made shots. 

Perennial All-Star and two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 44 points on 16/22 from the floor, including 6/9 from three with three steals and two block shots. Leonard scored 21 of his 44 points in the third quarter, which tied a career-high for points in a quarter.

George had his seventh double-double on the season with 34 points, 10 boards and five assists on 9/18 from the field, including 5/8 from three and 11/14 and the foul line. Powell had 24 points on 5/8 from three and 7/8 at the foul line. Nicolas Batum had 19 points and eight rebounds going 5/10 on his triple tries. Westbrook in his Clippers debut had his 18^th double-double on the season with 17 points, 14 assists and five rebounds. Mason Plumlee, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Charlotte Hornets also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Terance Mann also had 10 points off the bench.

The Kings shot 58.6 percent from the floor (65/111 FGs) and were 28/35 at the charity stripe, registering 33 assists on 65 made shots. Outscored the Clippers 41-17 in fast break points and 88-48 points in the paint.

What was the difference is the Kings had 18 steals and forced 25 Clippers turnovers that led to 42 Kings’ points.

“Truth be told, there was defense being played. But there was tough shots being made. But there was tough shots being made,” Fox said in his postgame presser about the Clippers hot shooting night. “Obviously, a lot of it has to do with letting people get in a rhythm. But I feel like we made just about every shot tough for Kawhi. He missed six shots out of 22. So, like there’s not much you about that.”

“We just had to grind this game out. We’re on the second night of a back-to-back. But it is what it is. We have a younger team than them.”  

The Kings compared to the Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers (29-32), Golden State Warriors, and Phoenix Suns did not make any moves at the trade deadline.

Their big moves came last season and in the summer of 2022. At last season’s trade deadline, the Kings made a shocking move in trading now All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton in exchange for Sabonis. In that offseason, the Kings hired Brown to be their new head coach and in free agency signed Monk and acquired Huerter from Hawks.

These three moves are a big reason why the Kings are in prime position to snap the longest playoff drought in NBA history at 16.

Coach Brown has brought stability, leadership and accountability to a team that has since an eight-year run with Hall of Famer Rick Adelman as their sideline leader (1998-2006) saw them go through 11 different head coaches.

The acquisition of Sabonis provided another scorer to go alongside Fox but another playmaker who also has provided a consistent presence in the interior, especially on the glass. Monk and Huerter have provided perimeter shooting for the Kings.

The addition of Monk at first raised some eyebrows because even though he did have a solid year in 2021-22 with Lakers where he averaged a career-highs 13.8 points on 47.3 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three was very inconsistent in his first four seasons with the Hornets, who selected him No. 11 overall in 2017 out of previously mentioned University of Kentucky.

There were times that Monk was frustrated in how things went for him to start his career with the Hornets. What helped him during that time is now Kings assistant coach Jay Triano was a sounding board that kept Monk focused and he matured and has been a major contributor off the bench for the Kings and his connection with Fox on the hardwood is as connected as ever like it was during their collegiate days with Wildcats’ head coach John Calipari.

“It’s lovely, man. It feels just like we’re in college again,” Monk said after the win to NBC Sports California’s Kyle Draper and Kenny Thomas. “It’s just fun. Everybody feeds off us and we’re playing. It ain’t like we’re shooting bad shots. We’re getting everybody involved, man. And it’s fun basketball.”

For much of this season, the other teams in the Pacific Division have been getting a lot of the attention in the aforementioned Clippers, Lakers, Suns, and Warriors because of their past success of being playoff perennials and having either competed in The Finals in recent years or having won titles in the case of the Lakers and Warriors.

The Kings as mentioned earlier have not made the Playoffs since 2006, when this blogger was just one year removed from graduating from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

They have had high draft picks that never lived up to their billing. They as mentioned earlier hired one coach after another seeing who can be that sideline leader that can have the kind of success Adelman did in turning the Kings from a perennial failure to a one that came within one game of being in The Finals in 2002, where they lost to Hall of Fame duo Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant and Lakers.

Kings nation finally has a team where the coach and the players have clicked and they are in the mix to be playing basketball in the spring for the first time in 16 seasons.

Kings’ fever has hit the capital city of California so much that after each Kings’ win so far this season, there is a light beam that is shot to the sky from Golden 1 Center.

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Kings have made it clear winning three in a row that they have earned their place as the third best team record wise in the rugged Western Conference behind the No. 2 Seeded Memphis Grizzlies (36-23) and the No. 1 Seeded Denver Nuggets (43-19).

The Kings backup their exceptional win at the Clippers with a 124-115 win at the surprising Oklahoma City Thunder (28-32) on Sunday night.

“On the road. They’ve got three Hall of Famers, man, and we’re a young team and we’re just out here competing every single game, man and letting the league know we’re here,” Monk said to Draper and Thomas about beating the Clippers and their dynamic trio Leonard, George, and Westbrook.

Throughout this season, the defending champion Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Phoenix Suns have been the talk of the Pacific Division and each has a chance of making the Playoffs this spring, even though the Lakers are on the outside of the postseason picture at the moment.

One team that is in prime position to be playing postseason hoops is the Sacramento Kings, who have as mentioned missed the Playoffs for an NBA-record 16 straight seasons.

They are in this position because of the moves they made last season with the acquisition of Domantas Sabonis in Feb. 2022. Their offseason moves of hiring Mike Brown, signing Malik Monk in free agency, and acquiring Kevin Huerter from the Atlanta Hawks.

On Friday night, the Kings said very loudly that they will be in the thick of postseason race in the rugged Western Conference and if they are the No. 3 Seed this spring will make their first postseason appearance having home court advantage in the opening-round.

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 2/24/2023 12:30 a.m. “Kings Postgame Live,” NBC Sports California, presented by Toyota With Kyle Draper and Kenny Thomas; 2/25/2023 1:30 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” from Los Angeles, CA With Neil Everett and Stan Verrett; 2/25/2023 2 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by State Farm With Kristen Ledlow, Steve Smith, and Greg Anthony; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/Malik_Monk; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sacaremento_Kings_head_coaches; https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameid/401469057; and www.espn.com/nba/standings.