The Sacramento Kings played the Houston Rockets at home for the second straight game, and the second matchup followed the same script as the first: the Kings took a big lead, the Rockets came back, and the Kings held on for a 130-127 victory.
In the first meeting, Houston’s Jalen Green hit a basket at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime. This time, he missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the end of the contest.
De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 33 points and Domantas Sabonis had 27 points and 12 rebounds.
Green led the Rockets with 27 points and Eric Gordon added 22.
The season is now at the halfway point and the Kings are 25-16 in the replay after finishing this five-game homestand with a 5-0 record. The Kings are two wins ahead of pace.
2022-23 Sacramento Kings Replay Home Page
The Rockets took a couple of small leads in the first four minutes, but they’d never lead again. A 9-1 run gave the Kings a 12-point lead late in the first quarter at 42-30, and they were up 45-34 after a high-scoring first period.
The Kings took several 15-point leads in the second quarter: first at 53-38, later at 60-45 and finally at 71-56 at halftime.
The Kings took a few 16-point leads early in the third quarter, last at 78-62. But a 10-0 Houston run made it a four-point game at 82-78. The Kings recovered to take a 98-88 lead heading into the final quarter.
It looked like it would be an easy win when the Kings went up by 15 at 119-104 with under six minutes to play. It was still a 13-point lead at 123-110 with four minutes to go. But an 8-0 Houston run would make it 123-118, and the Rockets would end up making it a one-point game in the closing seconds. Sabonis hit two free throws to make it a three-point game, and Green missed a three-point attempt to end it.
This game was played with Bank Shot Basketball.
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