What we learned as Kings exact revenge in bounce-back win vs. Raptors

What we learned as Kings exact revenge in bounce-back win vs. Raptors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SACRAMENTO – At last, the Kings were on the right side of a late-game rally, escaping with a 122-107 bounceback win against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.

They entered the game seeking vengeance against the only team they fell to during their most recent road trip – and they got it.

Returning home from an all-over-the-place four-game road trip, the Kings began the game appearing to still be a bit fatigued from all the travel.

The first quarter – and first half, really – was a snoozefest in Sacramento. The Kings gave the Golden 1 Center crowd little to cheer for during most of the first 24 minutes of action.

But an all-around performance from Keegan Murray from start to finish helped keep them afloat, and strong finishing performances from the Big Three helped them close things out.

DeMar DeRozan led the way with 27 points. De’Aaron Fox added 21 and Domantas Sabonis had a 17-point, 11-rebound, 13-assist triple-double.

It wasn’t pretty, but hey, they’ll take it.

Here are the takeaways from the win.

Setting the tone

If there was any sign of life early for the Kings, it was Murray.

His first-quarter stats alone were comparable to others’ final game statlines, contributing 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range, with five rebounds (three offensive).

Murray’s impact was so prevalent, Kings coach Mike Brown couldn’t help but play him the entire opening frame.

The 24-year-old didn’t check back into the game until the 5:08 mark of the second quarter, adding two more points, two more rebounds and an assist.

He finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists in 35 minutes. It’s his fourth double-double of the season, tying his double-double total from his entire rookie 2022-23 season in just eight games.

Bench still a concern 

Kings players coming off the bench not named Malik Monk or Keon Ellis have been non-impactful and even unplayable at times, to put it bluntly.

That still was the case Wednesday.

Kings coach Mike Brown has…

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Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-11-07 05:41:00

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