Hunter debuts, Kings falter. Despite flashes from Carter and Sabonis, shorthanded Grizzlies secure Sacramento's tenth consecutive defeat.
Some fresh air was breathed into the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night for the Sacramento Kings prior to the anticipated franchise debut of their newly-acquired wing De'Andre Hunter.
The 28-year-old ex-Cleveland Cavaliers forward was given the green light to start in his first game with the team opposite an undermanned Grizzlies squad trying to pick up the pieces following their blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz involving former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr.
In the end, Memphis remained strong and pulled out a hard-fought 129-125 victory, holding Hunter to just 9 points and two rebounds on 3-for-11 shooting from the floor and handing the Kings their 10th consecutive loss.
Sacramento's latest defeat marks the first time that the franchise has lost 10 straight games since March-into-April of 1998, according to Sactown Sports 1140's Frankie Cartoscelli, but a few silver linings were apparent in the battle that came down to the wire.
For one, Kings fans finally got to see what the team's former No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Devin Carter could do with a larger load of minutes, and the athletic 6-foot-2 point guard delivered.
In a shade under 24 minutes of work, Carter finished the night with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. Though he failed to knock down each of his six attempts from behind the three-point line, his aggressiveness towards the basket and crafty finishing ability led to him shooting 5-for-6 on two-pointers.
Along with Carter, Sacramento's 3-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis put on an utterly dominant performance in the first half, though he was pulled for large chunks of the contest in the second due to the Kings' ulterior tanking motives. He'd pour in 24 points (20 in first half), 15 rebounds (seven offensive boards) and three assists in only 24 minutes.
By the conclusion of this one, it was apparent that the Kings could not stop both of Memphis' lights-out shooters Ty Jerome and Cam Spencer, as both crafty point guards heavily affected the outcome of the game with their long-range shot-making ability.
Jerome scored a game-high 28 points to pair with seven assists and an uber-efficient 10-for-14 night from the field (3-for-4 on threes), pulling up and draining shots from different area codes.
In a game that was fought tooth-and-nail until the final minute, it was Spencer who played closer in the fourth quarter, bombing a clutch dagger three-pointer with 18 seconds to go, giving Memphis a 129-125 lead that would not change throughout the remainder of the game.
DeMar DeRozan also joined the 20-point scorers club with an efficient 20-piece of his own (60.0% field goal percentage), but his scoring burst did little to counteract the Grizzlies' blistering 43.9% shooting from distance as a collective.
Sacramento will play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night in what will be a heart-wrenching return for ex-Kings fan-favorite Keon Ellis.