DeMar DeRozan Makes NBA History in Kings vs Nuggets
The Sacramento Kings traveled into enemy territory to take on the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. Missing both Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk, many fans had low expectations against a strong Denver squad, but the Kings have put up a fight.
The Kings stormed out to take a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Nuggets battled back to make it a game.
Missing two starters, the Kings needed a big game from Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan, and the latter stepped up. DeRozan has erupted for 33 points (and counting) to lead the Kings in a time of desperation.
Not only has DeRozan had one of his strongest games of the season, but he made league history. With a three-point late in the first quarter, DeRozan passed Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing for 27th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
DeRozan was a huge pickup for the Kings in the offseason, acquiring him via sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls. This season, DeRozan is averaging 21.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, shooting 48.9% from the field.
The 35-year-old veteran is well past his prime, but he remains one of the most elite shot-makers in the league and proves it on a nightly basis. DeRozan now sits behind Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry, who also continues to work his way up the all-time scoring leaderboard.
DeRozan has scored the sixth-most points of any active NBA player, and his veteran presence in Sacramento could take them far.
Follow Sacramento Kings on SI on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live-stream podcasts!
Logan Struck is the Deputy Editor for Inside the Kings – SI.com’s team website following the Sacramento Kings.
Follow LoganStruck
© 2025
ABG-SI LLC
– SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
Recommended Articles
Logan Struck | 32 Minutes Ago
Kings get postseason safety net as West rivals continue getting terrible injury news
All season long, we’ve talked about how unforgiving the Western Conference is. You need to be on your game every single night, and even then, nothing is truly guaranteed.
However, a string of recent tragedies in Texas has made it so our Sacramento Kings can get as close to a safety net as one can get in the grueling Western Conference.
To play games after the 82-game regular season concludes, you need to be at least a top 10 spot in your conference. As it stands, the Kings are in eighth place in the West. But they are only four games from the 11th seed, and given how difficult the rest of their schedule is, it is entirely possible that they fall out of the top 10 before the season’s end.
Well, at least it was likely until season-ending injuries to Kyrie Irving (ACL) and Victor Wembanyama (blood clot) changed the entire landscape of the Western Conference.
Prior to these injuries, every team in the Western Conference had a chance at landing a top 10 seed. However, with key injuries to star players, the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs are expected to fall out of the race.
So, now only 11 teams are fighting for those ten spots. One of those teams is the Phoenix Suns, who have been a complete dumpster fire since starting the season 9-2 (20-31 since then). And another team is the Portland Trail Blazers, who still have a lot of digging to climb out of the 13-28 hole they dug for themselves earlier in the season. You have to think that one of those teams will not make the cut line, thereby basically guaranteeing that the Kings make at least the play-in tournament.
More than that, thanks to their recent win streak (powered by the incredible play of Zach LaVine), the Kings are only one game out from the sixth seed (currently occupied by the Golden State Warriors). So, if they keep playing the way they are, they could avoid the play-in tournament altogether and receive an automatic bid to the playoffs.
For the record, you never, ever want injuries to happen, especially to two players as special as Irving and Wembanyama. But still, one can’t help but notice how much these misfortunes have changed the Kings’ playoff outlook.
© 2025 Minute Media – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
