Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk could only watch and wait for his next opportunity after dropping out of coach Doug Christie’s rotation recently.
When the moment arrived, Monk was ready.
Monk hit two 3-pointers in a span of 31 seconds to help the Kings snap a six-game losing streak with a 111-98 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday before an announced crowd of 15,628 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
“It felt great,” Monk said. “Especially to do it in front of Golden 1. The fans always show me love. It’s always love here and I’m glad to get a win here. It felt amazing.”
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points for the Kings (9-30) while reaching another career milestone, becoming the 23rd player in NBA history to score 26,000 points.
Zach LaVine scored 18 points for Sacramento. Russell Westbrook had 15 points, six rebounds and 10 assists.
Monk, who did not play in five of the previous 12 games, came off the bench to post 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. He went 6 of 12 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range.
“Malik did a fabulous job,” Christie said. “He played to the standard. I love him and commend him for that.”
Amen Thompson had 31 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Rockets (22-14), who were trying to avenge a 125-124 overtime loss in Sacramento on Dec. 21.
Kevin Durant scored 23 points for Houston. Alperen Sengun had 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Rockets welcomed Sengun back to the starting lineup after he missed the past three games due to a right ankle sprain. The Kings, already missing Keegan Murray (ankle) and Domantas Sabonis (knee), were further depleted with backup point guard Dennis Schroder serving the first game of a three-game suspension for a Dec. 28 altercation with Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic.
Monk handled backup point guard duties in place of Schroder.
“It’s just a testament to who he is as a pro, the talent that he is, and how he takes care of himself and stays ready,” DeRozan said. “He’s always in there working his butt off, staying ready, and tonight shows, with everything he’s been going through, to play as big as he did and win us this game.”
Halftime report
LaVine started the game with a nice rhythm, scoring seven points on 3-of-4 shooting over the first four minutes.
The Rockets led 23-22 at the end of the opening period. The Kings took a 34-33 lead on a basket by rookie Nique Clifford midway through the second quarter. The Kings led 51-48 at the halftime break after DeRozan hit a sweet baseline jumper with 3.1 seconds remaining.
Neither team led by more than five points in a low-scoring first half that featured four two ties and eight lead changes. The Kings shot 52.3% from the field but went 3 of 14 (.214) from 3-point range. The Rockets shot 44.2% overall while going 5 of 17 (.294) from beyond the arc.
DeRozan led all scorers with 13 points. Durant had 12 for Houston.
Second-half summary
The game remained close with eight more lead changes in the third quarter.
The Rockets went up by one on a free throw by Reed Sheppard after Monk was whistled for a technical foul following a fracas with 40.7 seconds remaining. DeRozan converted a three-point play to give the Kings a 78-76 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Kings opened up a seven-point lead on a basket by Westbrook with 8:21 to go. The Rockets came back to cut the deficit to two, but Monk hit two 3-pointers in a span of 31 seconds to put Sacramento up 100-92 with 3:49 remaining.
Up next
The Kings will be back in action when they face the Lakers on the second night of a back-to-back Monday at Golden 1 Center.
The Lakers (23-13) are coming off consecutive losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks. They are led by Doncic, who scored 34 points in a 125-101 victory over the Kings on Dec. 28 at Cyrpto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Sacramento will be without Schroder, who was suspended for three games without pay after attempting to confront and strike Doncic about 40 minutes after the Dec. 28 game in Los Angeles.
The Kings are 1-5 this season on the second night of a back-to-back.