Kings Hold Off as Raptors Claw Back in Fourth Quarter
The Sacramento Kings led by as much as 23 points in the third quarter on January 5 against the Toronto Raptors, but the Raptors fought their way back and kept the game a nail-biter in the fourth. Ultimately though, the Kings prevailed with a 135-130 score to take down Toronto.
F Keegan Murray had another excellent game after Wednesday's 28-point performance over the Orlando Magic. Murray ended with 18 points and 12 rebounds while going 4-4 from beyond the arc.
C Domantas Sabonis had another dominant night, starting hot and posting another triple-double. Sabonis earned his eighth triple-double of the season and sixth in his last ten games. He ended with a stat line of 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists when he fouled out late in the fourth.
Entering Friday's game, the Kings emerged as frontrunners for trade target F Pascal Siakam, yet just a few hours later pulled out of trade talks. The news came as the teams were warming up and executives were on the floor talking to each other.
During Pascal's night in Sacramento, he put up 18 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds compared to Kings F Harrison Barnes' 16-point performance. Just a day after being put on the trade block, Barnes went off from deep, knocking down 5 of his 8 shots beyond the arc.
G Chris Duarte had a solid game, netting 10 points and opening up the Kings' scoring. Perhaps one of his cleaner plays of the night though came on the defensive end, as he held off G Immanuel Quickly as the Raptors attempted to tie the game in the final seconds.
The Kings' next game is against the New Orleans Pelicans, who have dominated the series. Sacramento is 0-3 on the season against the Pelicans and will have to make some changes if they look to win their first of the year. A match-up error has led to lots of these struggles, but the Kings need to avoid going 0-4 before their final game against New Orleans in April.
The Kings take on the Pelicans on January 7 at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET.
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