What we learned as Fox shines in Kings’ win over 76ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – The Kings started 2025 on an encouraging note, rallying in the final minutes to knock out the Philadelphia 76ers 113-107 in front of a raucous crowd at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday.
Malik Monk made four free throws in the final 33 seconds to give Sacramento its second win since shooting coach Mike Brown last week.
De’Aaron Fox led the charge with 35 points. Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, 21 rebounds and seven assists. Malik Monk added 20 points while DeMar Derozan scored 16 and was able to light the beam after the game ended.
The Kings started the night looking a lot like the team that waltzed through the final months of 2024 and fell behind by 14 before its late comeback.
The 76ers led 107-102 with 2:34 left, but couldn’t stop the Kings after that. Sacramento scored the final 11 points of the game, with Monk passing in the clutch while DeRozan added a pair of key free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining.
The Kings improved to 2-1 under interim coach Doug Christie after ending the 76ers’ four-game winning streak.
Here are the takeaways from Wednesday’s game:
Domas The Double-Double Guy
Despite often being played out of position, Sabonis has been a scoring monster throughout his career, taking on bigger, stronger defenders.
The 76ers were without Joel Embiid, which made things a little easier, although Domas still had to deal with 6-foot-11 Andre Drummond inside. This didn’t seem to bother him at all, as most of his score was low.
That’s 29 double-doubles in 34 games during the 2024 NBA season for the league’s reigning triple-double champion.
Lyles Styles off the bench
Over the course of the season, Lyles has become a very solid player who continues to contribute solid minutes off the bench.
Although he doesn’t attract the attention of perimeter shooters like Kevin Huerter and Doug McDermott, Lyles has provided the necessary consistency from distance and did so again against the Sixers. The veteran forward made all of his goals from behind the arc.
On the negative side, Lyles was assessed a technical foul for arguing with the officials late in the third quarter. A minor blemish on an otherwise solid night.
Keon for Keegan
With Keegan Murray unavailable while nursing a sore ankle, Christie turned to Keon Ellis for help. The 24-year-old forward played with his normal energy and passion, but didn’t have the type of impact on defense that he had and the type that Murrary brought almost every game.
Ellis was minimally involved on the offensive end – he only attempted two shots in the first half, but made a 3-pointer in the final 2 minutes of the game. Ellis spent part of his evening sharing defensive duties trying to contain Paul George, who scored more points in the first half (20) than in his previous six games.
