What we learned as DeRozan’s Kings debut spoiled in loss to T-wolves

What we learned as DeRozan’s Kings debut spoiled in loss to T-wolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Kings basketball is back and so are the notorious late-game collapses.

Sacramento’s 2024-25 season opener came down to the wire, but a late rally led by Anthony Edwards lifted the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 117-115 win over the Kings on Thursday night at Golden 1 Center.

After completing the first half with just nine points, Edwards came alive in the second — finishing with 32 points on 10-of-24 shooting from the field and 5 made 3-pointers, also going a perfect 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. He added seven rebounds, four assists and one steal in 39 minutes.

And he wasn’t even the leading scorer for Minnesota.

Instead, it was new Timberwolves forward Julius Randle who finished with a game-high 33 points on an efficient 13-of-17 shooting from the field and 5 of 6 from beyond the arc, adding five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.

Despite holding a 12-point lead through three quarters, Sacramento repeated a similar pattern from last season and collapsed late in the contest — and continued a trend in recent home openers.

The Kings now are 1-10 in home openers over the last 11 seasons, including 1-3 in the previous four.

There were bright spots of the loss, such as a confident shooting night from Domantas Sabonis and the continued progression of soon-to-be two-way star Keegan Murray. Not to mention the official Kings debut of DeMar DeRozan.

But it’s not the preseason anymore, and there are no moral victories in the regular season.

Here are the takeaways from Sacramento’s collapse in the season-opener:

DeMar’s debut spoiled

Just before team introductions, DeRozan took the mic at mid-court and addressed Kings fans – whom he referred to as the best in the league. He said he was excited for the new season before signing off with a loud and proud: “Go Kings!

The six-time NBA All-Star officially made his Kings debut as he enters his 16th season. And that excitement before the game instantly carried over into the contest.

Thirty-four seconds into his Kings debut, DeRozan knocked down his…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-derozans-kings-debut-spoiled-052027329.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-10-25 05:20:00

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