Domantas Sabonis led the Sacramento Kings with 27 points, and DeMar DeRozan scored 13 of his 16 points in a strong third quarter to help the Kings defeat the Houston Rockets 120-111 at home on Tuesday night. The win ended the Rockets’ chance to be the top seed in the West for the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Despite the loss, the Rockets finished first in the West Group A with a 3-1 record, securing a spot in the conference’s final four. Since no group winner went undefeated, tiebreakers were used to determine the top three seeds, and the Rockets ended up between the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and third-seeded Golden State Warriors. The Rockets will host the Warriors in a quarterfinal next week.
Houston started strong, leading 28-19 in the final minute of the first quarter with 3-pointers from Jabari Smith Jr., Jalen Green, and Fred VanVleet.
However, the Kings took control from there. They scored the last eight points of the second quarter to cut the lead to one at halftime. Sacramento then outscored Houston 42-29 in the third quarter, taking the lead for good.
Malik Monk and Keegan Murray each hit two 3-pointers, alongside DeRozan’s big scoring effort in the third, giving the Kings a 96-84 lead going into the final quarter.
The Rockets couldn’t get closer than six points in the final 12 minutes.
De’Aaron Fox added 22 points for Sacramento, which won its first NBA Cup game after four tries. Monk also contributed 17 points and a game-high 12 assists. Sabonis added seven rebounds and four assists.
Seven Kings players scored in double figures, including Murray and Kevin Huerter with 13 points each and Isaac Jones with 12.
Green led Houston with 28 points, while Alperen Sengun had 24 points, eight rebounds, and a team-high six assists. Tari Eason contributed 16 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, and three steals off the bench, and VanVleet scored 13 points.
