What we learned as Fox’s new Kings duo DeRozan sparked first win of the season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
BOX SCORE
SACRAMENTO – De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points to become the fifth player in Kings franchise history to reach the 10,000-point scoring plateau, and Sacramento picked up its first win of the 2024-25 NBA season after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98 on Monday night.
DeMar DeRozan added 23 points, three assists and three steals as the Kings lit up the beam at Golden 1 Center for the first time this season. Domantas Sabonis had another double-double: the 355e of his career – with 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Kevin Huerter scored 18 and Malik Monk had 12.
The Kings led from start to finish and showed much more muscle and physicality than when they lost to the Blazers in the preseason two weeks ago.
Sabonis provided the spark early, effectively attacking the rim while helping Sacramento build an early lead, but it was Fox’s night to celebrate.
The veteran point guard – who had double-doubles in each of Sacramento’s first two games – shot 9 of 20 from the floor and scored his milestone points in the third quarter. Fox joins Oscar Robertson, Jack Twyman, Mitch Richmond and Tiny Archibald as the only players in Kings history with 10,000 points or more.
While Fox did his thing, the rest of the Kings took care of the small details. Sacramento grabbed 47 rebounds and handed out 25 assists.
The only real problem for Kings coach Mike Brown is how poorly his team played and defended the post. Sacramento had done well with losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers, but didn’t have the same success against Portland, being outscored 52-28 in the paint.
Now we move on to Utah, where the Kings hope to get their first road win against the Jazz on Tuesday.
These are the conclusions from Monday’s match:
Go to the line
DeRozan’s ability to attack the rim and make contact was a clear factor in the Kings’ offseason signing, and we see why.
After making 50 of 60 free throw attempts in the first two games, Sacramento did another solid job getting to the line against Portland on Monday. The Kings finished 23 of 25 from the stripe, with DeRozan leading the way with 9 of 10 on free throws.
Sacramento entered the night leading the NBA in free throw percentage and now has an 85.8 percent success rate.
Another game, another big run for the opponent
In each of their first three games, the Kings allowed opponents to make big runs that changed the momentum of the game. Monday’s affair with the Blazers was no different.
Sacramento built a seemingly comfortable 10-point lead midway through the first quarter and then allowed Portland to close the gap to one point after a 19-19 run.
It’s a disturbing pattern that needs to be resolved quickly. The Kings were outscored 20-7 at one point in their season-opening loss to the Timberwolves before being defeated 21-0 by the Lakers last Saturday.
Good challenge
The Kings caught a break in the second quarter when Brown challenged a foul call on Monk while Sacramento’s sixth man Jerami Grant defended.
Replays appeared to show Monk’s left hand touching Grant’s forearm as the Portland forward went up, but the officials ruled it a legal ball play and therefore the call was overturned.
That’s the third successful challenge in four attempts for Brown this season. During the 2023-2024 season, Brown had a .500 record (28-28) in challenges.
Download and follow the Deuce & Mo Podcast
