Kings’ OT heroics halted by Raptors on Carter’s special night originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Vince Carter’s Toronto Raptors jersey retirement night had everything but a Kings win.
Looking to extend the Kings’ winning streak to four games, DeMar DeRozan’s back-to-back late-game heroics were missing in Sacramento’s 131-128 overtime loss to Toronto on Saturday night at Scotiabank Centre.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom for DeRozan despite a nail-biting loss. It was a bittersweet night for the star forward in his first return to Toronto with Sacramento.
DeRozan, selected No. 9 overall by the Raptors in 2009, was honored to see Carter’s No. 15 jersey become the first number retired by Toronto.
“It’s one of those things that, for me, in that it’s a unique situation to have such a close connection to this organization and this city, to play against Vince, to understand Vince’s history here, to have a relationship with Vince , to have this come full circle, to be here and to witness the incredible night he had,” DeRozan told reporters.
“It’s a surreal moment because every time I come here, I just remember being a 19-year-old kid figuring life out. So just seeing it fully like this is special. I’m more than happy that I just got the chance to be here to witness it and feel the energy.”
As Carter, who also represented the Kings during his Hall of Fame career, watched, his former teams delivered a high-speed back-and-forth affair, with Toronto shooting 17 of 37 (45.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
Battling a 13-point deficit with six minutes remaining in regulation, the Kings – without guard Kevin Huerter – turned to DeRozan and star guard De’Aaron Fox for a second straight night.
Fox understood the task, scoring 4 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, while DeRozan, who finished with 33 points and had a remarkable. exchange with rapper Drakeadded 10 of the fourth quarter and all 8 of the Kings’ points in overtime.
And while the end result didn’t look like Friday night, DeRozan firmly believes his chemistry with Fox is on the right track.
“It was great,” DeRozan said. “[We’re] a few games in. We still have a lot to learn. We still have a lot of chemistry that we can build.
“But as far as it is now, it’s been great. We still have a lot to work on and get comfortable, but I have the utmost confidence when it comes to the two of us that we will be able to come up with a high level, especially in the fourth quarter.”
Domantas Sabonis scored his third triple-double of the season, surpassing legend Larry Bird for 10th all-time triple-double in NBA history. The performance also earned the praise of the Kings coach Mike Brown.
“Domas has been our center since I’ve been here for three years now,” Brown told reporters. “As skilled as he is, in terms of shooting, passing and ball handling, you don’t find that in a guy his size. It doesn’t surprise me that he has as many as he does because it suits him for who he is.”
“It doesn’t surprise me that he has as many as he does.”
Mike Brown praises Domantas Sabonis after he passes Larry Bird for 10th all-time triple-double in NBA history pic.twitter.com/toSPVvt1li
– Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 3, 2024
The Kings, who are on their first multi-game road trip of the season, now turn their attention to Monday’s matchup against the Miami Heat.
In the meantime, Sacramento will need all the rest it can get, especially after putting on an overtime show on former Kings’ memorial night.
