What we learned when DeRozan’s Kings debut was ruined by loss to T-wolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – Kings basketball is back and so are the infamous 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 victory over the Kings at Golden 1 Center on Thursday night.
After finishing 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 with a perfect 7 throw from 7 from the free line. He added seven rebounds, four assists and one steal in 39 minutes.
And he wasn’t even Minnesota’s leading scorer.
Instead, it was new Timberwolves forward Julius Randle who finished with a game-high 33 points on efficient 13-of-17 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, adding five rebounds and four added assists in 35 minutes.
Despite holding a 12-point lead in the third quarter, Sacramento repeated a similar pattern from last season and collapsed late in the game – continuing a trend in recent home openers.
The Kings are now 1-10 in home openers over the past eleven seasons, including 1-3 in the previous four.
There were bright spots in the loss, such as a confident shooting night from Domantas Sabonis and the continued progress of soon-to-be two-time star Keegan Murray. Not to mention DeMar DeRozan’s official Kings debut.
But it’s not preseason anymore and there are no moral victories in the regular season.
Here are the lessons from Sacramento’s collapse in the season opener:
DeMar’s debut soiled
Just before the team was introduced, DeRozan took the microphone at midfield and addressed Kings fans, calling them the best in the league. He said he was excited about the new season before closing loud and proud: “Go Kings!
The six-time NBA All-Star officially made his Kings debut entering his 16th season. And that pre-match excitement immediately carried over into the match.
Thirty-four seconds into his Kings debut, DeRozan knocked down his first shot as a Sacramento King. As the game progressed, so did his impact.
He was resilient. He drove to the basket. He made plays. He reached the free throw line. Everything Sacramento expected from the veteran star when they acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal this offseason.
At one point in the second quarter, with De’Aaron Fox sitting, DeRozan scored or assisted six straight points for Sacramento. He had just four points in the first quarter and then took it upon himself to get started while the star point guard got some rest, adding another 10 points.
He finished his debut with a team-high 26 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field and 12-of-14 from the charity stripe, with eight rebounds, two assists and one steal in 43 minutes.
He’ll have to wait before he can light the beam for the first time, and he and the Kings hope that moment comes soon.
Two key pieces return
Sacramento entered Thursday’s game as healthy as it has been in a while. From recovering from injuries from last season to a slew of new minor injuries during training camp, the Kings got most of the band back together just in time for their season opener.
Kings center Orlando Robinson (MCL sprain) and Rookie guard Devin Carter (shoulder) were the only players on the injury list, with the latter likely out until at least January.
But the Kings got a pair of key reinforcements on Thursday, each of which will play a crucial role in Sacramento’s deep playoff aspirations.
Kevin Huerter reclaimed his role in the starting lineup and, for the most part, looked like a player who has missed a significant amount of time due to injury.
It’s normal and shouldn’t be a cause for alarm for now.
Huerter finished with just two points on four attempts, but contributed four rebounds and was a plus-nine in plus/minus rating through 19 minutes.
Brown has never been the type of coach to judge his performance based on how many points he finishes with, but rather how he finds other ways to contribute and impact the game. He’ll have to work his way back in, but ultimately the Kings need their marksman to knock down shots. He is a key ingredient to Sacramento’s offense.
Also returning for the Kings was Trey Lyles, who was out of training camp and the entire five-game preseason with a left groin strain.
Lyles played just over 10 minutes and finished with three points on 1-of-4 shooting, with one rebound and one assist.
Sacramento’s sixth man
Even when DeRozan made his official Kings debut, the return of Huerter, the intros from Sacramento’s stars Fox and Sabonis, or the deafening “Keegan Murray” chants — no cheers were as loud as the ones that sounded when Monk stepped to the floor for the first time at 5:42 of the first quarter.
And to return the favor for the warm welcome back, Monk checked in and scored four quick points in about a minute.
The energy Monk brings off the bench may sound like a broken record to those who don’t watch, but his electrifying impact is evident to those who do.
The 26-year-old finished the game with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, with one rebound and four assists in 26 minutes, leading the team in scoring off the bench by a wide margin.
The rest of Sacramento’s bench finished with a total of eight points.
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