The post DeRozan cherishes his memorable Kings debut loss to the Timberwolves appeared first on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – DeMar DeRozan has played for four different teams and has now participated in 16 NBA Opening Night festivities. The six-time All-Star never gets old.
That’s why, even though the Kings lost in the season opener, DeRozan left the Golden 1 center with some fond memories.
DeRozan was greeted with loud cheers when he was introduced, and the cheers grew even louder when the newcomer grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd, as has become an annual tradition at the Kings’ first and last home games of each season. It became.
To say the fans made DeRozan feel welcome is an easy understatement.
“As long as I continue to play, to continue to play in this league, to continue to be recognized, to be wanted by the fans, to be able to play at a high level, I don’t take any of those moments for granted.”Thursday against the Timberwolves. DeRozan said after the 117-115 loss. “You only get to play this game for a certain amount of time. We all want what we do on the court to be loved and appreciated. So it was great.”
DeRozan is arguably the Kings’ biggest acquisition of the offseason, and perhaps the best move the front office has made since trading for Domantas Sabonis in 2022.
The 35-year-old guard has averaged 21.2 points per game over his 15-year NBA career, and had an impressive 2023-24 season with 24.5 points per game, the third-highest of DeRozan’s career. Ta. He finished second in the Clutch Player of the Year voting behind two-time MVP Stephen Curry.
DeRozan didn’t waste much time trying to get his fans to love him.
He scored the Kings’ first goal of the season on a driving layup 34 seconds into his debut and easily beat two Timberwolves defenders on his way to an easy basket in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of DeRozan’s team-high 26 points. was recorded. point.
DeRozan shot 7-of-18 from the floor overall, got to the free-throw line multiple times and knocked down 12-of-14 attempts from the stripe. He also grabbed eight rebounds and recorded two assists and one steal.
“We were rusty on a lot of things, but the effort was there,” DeRozan said. “I think once we get into a rhythm with each other, everything will fit perfectly. We understand where the players like the ball, getting to their spots, everything. But most of the time, we don’t know how well we play. I’m happy with how aggressive we were and how we competed. It’s disappointing not to get the win.”
The only big thing the Kings have to complain about is their inability to finish. They could have shot it better, but they did a great job of limiting turnovers and capitalizing on Minnesota’s mistakes after a somewhat sloppy start.
Ironically, the player who should have suffered the most in terms of minutes and shots with DeRozan’s addition was Keegan Murray, who calmly posted 23 points and 11 rebounds.
In this game, the Kings’ offense didn’t look much different than DeRozan’s, but the spacing seemed better. The end result was five Sacramento players scoring in double figures, with three of them (DeRozan, Murray and Sabonis) scoring at least 23 points.
“We all play the same way, and when he gets the ball, he goes for the bucket,” Sabonis said. “There were moments where we didn’t score. He went to a mid-range game and made some baskets for us.”
They pulled away from the Kings in the fourth quarter, but were still in position to win or force overtime. With two seconds left, DeRozan attempted to inbound the ball, but overlooked two teammates who appeared to have a better angle and instead lobbed a pass across the court to Murray. Murray’s desperate 3-point try hit the rim before the buzzer sounded off balance. Falling down.
It was a play the Kings had been practicing for several days leading up to the game, but it was a play they had only executed once in a preseason game.
Brown then pointed out that DeRozan had to make a series of reads on the play and should have given more momentum to his pass to Murray.
Despite this, DeRozan ended the night still feeling optimistic about what’s in store for him and the Kings.
“The only time they hurt us is when we hurt ourselves and gave them open shots,” DeRozan said. But like I said, it’s a great learning experience.
“It’s amazing. The dynamic of this team is unbelievable. I have tremendous confidence in these guys.”
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