DeRozan shows clutch gene in Kings’ road win over Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
There’s a reason the Kings took a gamble on six-time NBA All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan — and it showed on the road Friday night.
When things got tough in the final minutes of the game, DeRozan and star guard De’Aaron Fox proved their worth, scoring a combined 58 points in Sacramento’s 123-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at the State Farm Arena.
The Hawks, who trailed by as many as 18 points at one point, cut the Kings’ lead to three points with two minutes remaining, prompting two of the NBA’s leading scorers in the fourth quarter to close out the game with a bang .
For a Sacramento stalwart like Fox, having a teammate like DeRozan to stop opponents’ late-game drives is a breath of fresh air for the organization.
“I mean the way he’s able to get to his spot, it’s a joke in the league that you get a stupid fine if you jump on his pump fakes because he’ll pump fakes, and all the “Everyone in the league knows that,” Fox said after Friday’s win. “At some point he understands you.
“Exactly the way he is able to make the game look easy. You need to send him another guy, or at least have two or three pairs of eyes on him. We move, we cut, we move and we get easy shots.
As Atlanta got back into the game with 5:18 left, DeRozan – a historic acquisition for general manager Monte McNair and Co. – delivered a fashionably crucial basket.
But it’s not just the 35-year-old star striker who has paid his dividends late.
Fox, who has been the organization’s go-to player in late-game scenarios, demonstrated the competitive advantage the Kings possess with two clutch-oriented players while extending Sacramento’s winning streak to three matches.
With Domantas Sabonis fouling out with 2:01 left in the fourth quarter, it was up to coach Mike Brown to gamble on his and McNair’s offseason vision.
It worked – so much so that guard Keon Ellis is confident the Kings won’t sleep late in games this season.
“(You) can’t really get upset,” Ellis told reporters. “We know the teams are going to make races. This is the next game to limit that. I mean, we just have to keep our cool. It’s the game of basketball.
“I think we did it tonight. I think they tied it or whatever, but, like I said, we have some veteran guys that have experience in these kinds of situations. It’s really good to have them, that’s for sure.
Sure, the Kings are expecting a season full of late-game drama, but one thing is for sure after Friday night’s win: Brown has several proven options in the clutch.
