The Sacramento Kings couldn’t contain Ja Morant and the Kings began a three-game road trip with a 128-120 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
For the first time this replay, the Kings are no longer ahead of pace, as they’re 10-6 here, just as they were in real life after 16 games.
Morant had 40 points to go with nine assists and eight rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 22 and Dillon Brooks had 21.
The Kings were led by De’Aaron Fox’s 24 points and Kevin Huerter’s 20 points. Two starters fouled out, including Domantas Sabonis early in the fourth quarter, and two other starters finished with five fouls.
The Grizzlies had a big edge at the foul line, making 27 of 35 to the Kings’ 10 of 14. Memphis pulled down 22 offensive rebounds and had a 57-44 rebounding edge. The Kings kept things close with 18 three-pointers, as the Grizzlies only had seven.
2022-23 Sacramento Kings Replay Home Page
The Kings had a good first quarter, and built a 26-15 lead with less than five minutes to go. That would turn out to be Sacramento’s largest lead of the game. The Kings had a 36-32 lead after the first period.
There were 10 lead changes during a second quarter that was stayed close. But Memphis ended the half on a 9-3 run to go up 64-59.
The Grizzlies scored the first six points of the third quarter to take an 11-point lead at 70-59. Down by 10 at 72-62, the Kings went on a 12-2 run to tie the game. There were five more lead changes late in the quarter, and Sacramento went into the final period with a 94-92 lead.
The Kings scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to go up by four, but then things fell apart. The Grizzlies went on a 16-0 run over the next 3+ minutes, with seven points coming from Jackson. That made it 108-96 with under nine minutes to play. The Kings came right back with a run of their own, with Fox scoring seven points in a 14-2 run that tied the game at 110 with a little more than four minutes to play. The Kings took a one-point lead at 112-111 on a Chimezie Metu basket, but it would be their last of the game. The Kings trailed by just one at 117-116 with under three minutes left, but they went cold, and the Grizzlies scored nine straight — the last seven by Morant — to go ahead 126-116 in the final minute.
This was the first game of the season played with Hoops.
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