DeMar DeRozan Praises Standout Teammate After Kings-Heat

Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan gave credit to Keegan Murray following their comeback win against the Miami Heat.

Dec 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) moves the ball up court aganst the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Riding a four-game win streak, the Sacramento Kings hosted the Miami Heat on Monday in a challenging attempt to build on their momentum and pick up their fifth consecutive victory.

Well, their momentum only took them so far, as the Heat took a commanding 17-point in the fourth quarter. Thankfully, this new-era Kings squad was not ready to roll over and give up. The Kings crawled back from the big deficit, stealing a win in double overtime.

DeMar DeRozan carried Sacramento's offense on his back down the stretch, scoring their last nine points in double overtime to finish with 30. His late-game heroics were certainly the story of the night, but DeRozan had plenty of help on the way there.

DeRozan credited third-year forward Keegan Murray for his tremendous play and willingness to defend the opposing team's best player.

"A lot of things [Murray] does don't necessarily show up on the stat sheet at times," DeRozan said. "His effort, we put him on the best players. He has the toughest job every single night. For him to come out and do what he does... you know, he does a lot of great things. He got it going, he hit some big shots late in that fourth [quarter]."

DeMar DeRozan talks about his 9 straight points in double-overtime to lead the Kings over the Heat 123-118, overcoming a rough shooting night, the fight to battle back from a big 4th quarter deficit and the effort from Keon Ellis. pic.twitter.com/FQbQSxusA9

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) January 7, 2025

Murray finished the night with 14 points and 12 rebounds, notching his 10th double-double of the season. While Murray has had a down year offensively, the 24-year-old continues to make up for it on the defensive end and the glass.

The Kings desperately need Murray to continue to shine on both ends if they want to truly turn their season around.

---

Follow Sacramento Kings on SI on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live-stream podcasts!