DeRozan unleashes clutch gene early to fuel Kings’ win vs. Warriors

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DeRozan unleashes clutch gene early to fuel Kings’ win vs. Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO — That’s just what he does.

That phrase — or a similar variation of it — was repeated and echoed by several Kings players describing their teammate DeMar DeRozan after he led Sacramento to a thrilling 123-117 comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.

Throughout his 16-year NBA career, DeRozan has been recognized for his fourth-quarter and clutch-time surges. But he didn’t wait for the final frame to come alive for his team Wednesday night — he couldn’t.

“It’s kind of a feel,” DeRozan said postgame. “Understanding in those moments what we need. I just try to go out there, be aggressive, just try to get us going and give ourselves an opportunity.

“I know we were down at halftime. We knew we didn’t play our best basketball, so I just tried to take it upon me to be aggressive. And with that came the buckets.”

Golden State led Sacramento 65-48 at the half after going on a 3-point frenzy to open the game. The Kings looked depleted, and the Warriors looked like a team ready to bounce back from a 40-point embarrassment two nights prior.

It sparked the overbearing amount of Warriors fans in Sacramento to outshine Kings fans in their building.

But not for long.

DeRozan, who had eight points entering the second half, added 19 third-quarter points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the field, including 1 of 1 from beyond the arc, and adding four free throws.

“He got it rolling for us,” Kings forward Keegan Murry said postgame. “We were struggling on offense, staggering on offense a little bit, That’s kind of just what he does. That’s what he’s done his whole career. So he’s helped us a lot in that department.”

DeRozan finished with a game-high 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field and 3 of 6 from long range, adding five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots in 39 minutes. He was a game-best plus-26 in plus/minus rating. The next best plus/minus rating was Domantas Sabonis’ plus-11.

The 35-year-old…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/derozan-unleashes-clutch-gene-early-231821401.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-01-22 23:18:00

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