Toumani Camara #33 of the Portland Trail Blazers knocks the ball away from De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center on October 28, 2024 in Sacramento, California. | Photo by Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images via AFP)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points and surpassed 10,000 for his career, DeMar DeRozan added 23 points and the Sacramento Kings beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98 on Monday night for their first win of the season.
Fox became the fifth player in franchise history to reach the 10,000 mark when he made a 3-pointer in the third quarter. The Kings never trailed, expanding a 60-58 lead midway through the third quarter to 26 points in the fourth.
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DeAndre Ayton had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, joining Bill Walton as the only players in franchise history to start a season with four straight double-doubles.
DeRozan had 19 points at the half, making 9 of 10 three throws and hitting a contested jumper at the buzzer to give the Kings a 51-43 lead.
Sacramento made 23 of its 25 free throw attempts.
Domantas Sabonis had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Kings, and Kevin Huerter added 18 points.
Takeaways
Trail Blazers: The Blazers had shot 39% from 3-point range over their last two games, and coach Chauncey Billups praised his team before the game for creating good drive-and-kick looks. But Portland, the league’s worst 3-point shooting team last season, was just 4 of 22 from deep on Monday.
Kings: The Kings lost their first two games by a combined six points.
Key moment
After a sluggish first half, the Kings closed the third quarter on a 29-13 run to take an 18-point lead into the fourth. Malik Monk and Sabonis combined for a 9-0 spurt during that stretch.
Key stat
The Kings held the Blazers without a fast-break point until late in the fourth quarter.
Up next
Trail Blazers: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Kings: At Utah on Tuesday to begin a four-game trip.