Greatness can occur on any given night.
The Kings celebrated star guard DeMar DeRozan becoming the 30th player in NBA history to reach 24,000 career points with a much-needed 140-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at Frost Bank Center.
Sacramento’s 140 points is a season-high, and, in a way, it also serves as a fitting tribute to one of the league’s best scorers of all time.
“It’s just an absurd number,” Kings coach Mike Brown told reporters. “But being around him, you can see how he got there.
“His ability to get to his spot, and I think everyone on that list had a spot or two that if they got there, it was a wrap. So being around DeMar, for the short amount of time I’ve been there, it makes sense that he’s on the list. But it’s just an absurd amount of points to be scored for anybody.”
Four of the Kings’ five starters ended the night with at least 20 points, with DeRozan registering a team-high 23 points. But as much as Brown and Co. thrived off the starter’s production, Kevin Huerter made a significant impact off the bench, scoring 16 points and making all four of his 3-point attempts.
Keon Ellis, on the other hand, returned to Brown’s rotation after logging two consecutive DNPs. He finished with three points, four steals and three assists.
U.S. & World
Keon drains the corner trey 3️⃣
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 7, 2024
pic.twitter.com/FSdKQEx4pd
Early in the second quarter, after netting a free throw, DeRozan became the sixth active player to reach the milestone, joining current NBA stars LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
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DeMar joins the 24,000-point club 💜 pic.twitter.com/fUVB0fn6PZ
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 7, 2024
Over 24,000 points later, the six-time NBA All-Star is humbled to form a part of such an elite list of players.
“It’s always amazing any type of milestone you could reach,” DeRozan said. “Just to think of the history of the league, being Top 30 all-time in scoring and still have the opportunity to add to that is beyond humbling.
‘I would have never imagined this coming to the league: to be up there with some of the greatest players to ever play this game. For me, it’s definitely humbling. It just says a lot about my career.”
Sacramento’s first win of the season against San Antonio, who were without center Victor Wembanyama, comes after a string of disappointing losses, including Thursday night’s loss against the Memphis Grizzlies.
With DeRozan a part of the 24,000-point club and a high-scoring win behind them, Brown and Co. surely head into Sunday’s home game against the Utah Jazz with more optimism.
