The Sacramento Kings haven’t won many games this season, but this time they simply refused to lose.
Dennis Schroder made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds to play in overtime, lifting the Kings to a 125-124 victory before a frenzied crowd of 15,796 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The Kings rejoiced after snapping a five-game losing streak following two close losses to the Portland Trail Blazers.
“Just being resilient, just taking on the challenge, whatever that may be,” Kings star DeMar DeRozan said. “We’re just pulling together. It sucks with us having the record we have, but the only way to get ourselves out of this hole is to keep digging.”
Kings coach Doug Christie was proud of the way his team repeatedly fought back to stay in the game.
“The continued fight and to compete at that level, I have the utmost respect for those guys in that locker room,” Christie said. “In our league, it’s hard to win games, but you can also let go of the rope, and they refused to let go.”
DeRozan had 27 points and nine assists for the Kings (7-22), who went into the game with the worst record in the Western Conference after losing nine of their previous 10 games.
Keegan Murray matched his season high with 26 points. Schroder came off the bench to post 24 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. Russell Westbrook had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Rookie center Maxime Raynaud also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
“I don’t care how we did it, but we got a win,” Westbrook said.
Alperen Sengun scored 28 points for the Rockets (17-9). Kevin Durant had 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Jabari Smith Jr. added 18 points while Tari Eason came off the bench to score 16.
Halftime report
The Kings got off to a strong start, outscoring the Rockets 14-4 after making five of their first eight shots. Westbrook had the hot hand early, scoring eight points in the first four minutes of the game.
Durant hit a 3-pointer to spark an 11-2 run as Houston came back to cut the deficit to one. The Rockets went up 22-21 on two free throws by Durant and led 31-30 at the end of the first quarter.
Houston went up by eight in the second quarter before Sacramento came back to take a 50-49 lead on a 3-pointer by DeRozan with 4:37 to play in the first half. The Rockets responded with a 12-2 run to take a nine-point lead.
Keon Ellis fouled Reed Sheppard on a 3-point attempt with 0.9 seconds remaining. Sheppard made all three free throws to give the Rockets a 68-57 lead at the halftime break.
Second-half summary
Houston maintained a double-digit lead until Sacramento staged a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to six on a layup by Westbrook midway through the third quarter.
Malik Monk received a huge ovation when he checked into the game with 4:45 to play in the third after being benched in back-to-back losses to the Portland Trail Blazers. Monk got another rise out of the crowd when he scored on a scoop layup a moment later, but the Kings trailed 91-82 at the end of the third quarter.
The Rockets extended the lead to 14 early in the fourth quarter, but the Kings wouldn’t quit. Murray scored seven points in a span of 44 seconds to fuel a 12-0 run as Sacramento came back to cut the deficit to two on a 3-pointer by Schroder with 8:13 remaining.
The Kings got within one on a jumper by Westbrook with 3:04 to play. They sent the game to overtime after Westbrook buried a corner 3-pointer with 13.3 seconds remaining in regulation.
Overtime
The Kings lost Raynaud when he fouled out with 4:04 to go in overtime, forcing the Kings to finish the game with undrafted rookie center Dylan Cardwell.
Cardwell got a big stop on Sengun, leading to a layup by Schroder that put the Kings up 120-117 with 1:27 to play. The game was tied when Westbrook fouled Smith on a 3-point attempt with 10.4 seconds remaining. Smith made the first two free throws but missed the third, giving the Rockets a 124-122 lead while leaving the Kings with one more chance.
Schroder inbounded the ball following a timeout. DeRozan drove to the basket and passed to Schroder, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds to go, setting off a wild celebration inside the arena.
Up next
The Kings will continue their four-game homestand when they play host to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
The Pistons (22-6) will be on the second night of a back-to-back after visiting the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. They have the best record in the Eastern Conference after winning five of their last six games, including a big road win over the Boston Celtics.
Detroit is led by 24-year-old guard Cade Cunningham, who came out of Oklahoma State as the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. Cunningham is averaging 27.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.4 steals.