The Kings always seem to put on a show against their Southern California rivals, and that is exactly what we got last night in an absolute nail biter.
The Kings came out swinging in the first quarter, scoring 41 points, which at this point you almost come to expect out of this elite offense. Anthony Davis also got going for the Lakers, dominating on the defensive end with a steal and a couple of blocks early on.
The Second quarter was a little more back and forth, and the free throw disparity became ridiculous at a certain point, as the Lakers finished with an absurd 23 free throws to the kings measly 5 free throws in the first half, something the home crowd didn’t take kindly to. De’aaron Fox ended the half with a bang, sizing up Taurean Prince and then hitting a 3 in his face to bring his point total up to 21 points for the first half.
The Kings were abysmal in the 3rd quarter, only scoring 21 points, allowing the Lakers to get back in the game and even take the lead early in the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter is where the Kings usually show the most Grit, but things started to look tough when the former clutch player of the year De’aaron Fox went down with an apparent ankle injury at the 7:27 mark in the fourth, and it did not look good, as Fox clearly twisted it pretty bad. Heroically, Fox came out from the locker room and checked back into the game a minute later, gallantly scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter to help push the game to overtime.
Fox showed how tough mentally and physically he really is by playing through the injury,(which was later diagnosed as an ankle sprain that will keep him out for a few games).Not only helping with his level of play while injured, but also giving his team that boost they needed to go out and win the game. In Overtime, Fox was on the bench because it appeared his ankle was hurting him more and more as he kept playing.So, Malik Monk was the player to take over, scoring 11 points, leading the Kings to a 132-127 overtime victory in Sacramento.
With Sabonis fouling out in the fourth quarter and Fox dealing with the ankle injury, it was nice for Kings fans to see the younger guys take over and beat a really good team. Fox led the way with 37 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds, Malik Monk had 22 points, and Keegan Murray had an impressive night with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists as well.
Early on, it is looking like it will be another exciting season for the beam team, as long as they stay in good health.
