DeMar DeRozan gave Sacramento the lead for good with 2:20 remaining, De’Aaron Fox made five free throws amid two controversial calls in the final 33 seconds, and the host Kings hung on to defeat the Houston Rockets 132-127 on Thursday night.
DeRozan finished with 33 points and Domantas Sabonis had 20 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists before fouling out as the Kings improved to 5-0 at home under interim coach Doug Christie.
Jalen Green scored 28 points for the Rockets, who used a 10-0 flurry to take the 115-114 lead with 2:36 remaining on a pair of free throws by Tari Eason.
DeRozan countered 16 seconds later with his clutch 3-pointer, creating the game’s 22nd and final lead change.
The Rockets appeared to have two late opportunities to take leads, but on both occasions, Dillon Brooks was whistled for a foul when he thought he had made a steal from Fox.
Fox’s first two free throws gave Sacramento a three-point lead with 33 seconds left; his third made it a two-point game with 27.6 seconds to go, and his last two put Sacramento up 128-124 with 15 seconds left.
A 3-pointer by Green with 10.1 seconds remaining gave Houston hope at 128-127, but after two free throws by Malik Monk, Green misfired on a potential game-tying 30-footer with 4.8 seconds left.
Monk then capped a 28-point, nine-assist performance with two clinching free throws, giving the Kings their eighth win in their last nine games.
Fox chipped in 19 points, seven assists and four steals, while Keegan Murray had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who have won a pair of home games against the Rockets this season.
Alperen Sengun had 21 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, and Amen Thompson supplied 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Rockets, who were playing their second game in two nights.
Eason notched 16 points, Brooks 12 and Jeff Green 10 for Houston, which saw a five-game winning streak come to an end.
–Field Level Media
