Kings' Domantas Sabonis breaks Heat fans' hearts with unreal game-winner
Yesterday at 11:57 PM
It’s difficult to stand out in a 15-game slate, but the Sacramento Kings’ tussle against the Miami Heat certainly had some pulses raised with its barnburner of an ending. But in the end, the Kings were the ones that came out on top, 111-110, courtesy of a clutch Domantas Sabonis putback that left just 0.7 seconds on the clock.
One of the strong points of this Kings roster is their shot-making ability in the clutch. They have De’Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan, two contenders for the Clutch Player of the Year award since its inception, leading the way, and the Kings opted to give the ball to Fox with a chance to take the lead and perhaps win the game. Fox, however, missed a pull-up shot from the free-throw line after shedding the Heat defender, therefore setting up Sabonis’ heroics.
GAME-WINNING OFF-BALANCE FLOATER https://t.co/EcFV6LPj0D
— NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2024
Sabonis has arguably been the best rebounder in the NBA over the past few seasons, and he showed why in inhaling the game-winning offensive rebound over a swarm of Heat players. He managed to grab the ball over Bam Adebayo, who mistimed his jump, and then he secured possession even though both Terry Rozier III and Pelle Larsson were looking to swipe at the ball.
Moreover, Sabonis didn’t even bring the ball down; after he secured the ball, he immediately threw up an off-balanced floater before Adebayo could even attempt to block the shot. The Kings center deserves so much credit for his composure in the situation, as other players would most likely have clanked a putback attempt as they rushed to get a shot up.
This was a fitting end to what was a back-and-forth between the Kings and Heat in the fourth quarter. From the 11:47 mark of the final period, no team led by more than five points, and Sabonis ended up striking the decisive blow after Rozier missed a game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer.
The Kings’ stars came to play
It was always going to be interesting how the Kings were going to integrate DeMar DeRozan into their whirring, motion-based offense that maximized the skillsets of both De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. But DeRozan is a hooper who simply makes things happen for his teams. He can create his own shot and he is a willing passer, and he has operated like he’s been with the Kings all his life.
On Monday night, all three of the Kings’ All-Stars came to play and had their moments. Sabonis will draw the headlines for his game-winning putback, but DeRozan and Fox both played huge parts in putting the Kings in a position to succeed.
Fox scored 23 points in the first three quarters to lead the Kings’ attack for most of the night, while DeRozan brought them back when it looked like the Heat were going to pull away. DeRozan hit a crucial and-one three with a little over a minute to go to trim the Heat’s five-point lead to one, and then he was also credited for the assist on Malik Monk’s dunk that made the score 110-109 in favor of Miami — setting up Sabonis’ incredible putback.
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