Malik Monk Erupts for Season High - Leads Kings to Win Over Grizzlies

The Sacramento Kings win their third straight game with a 138-133 win over the Memphis Grizzlies

Dec 30, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) gestures after making a three point basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings look to be turning the corner with their third straight win, taking down the Memphis Grizzlies 138-133.

The Kings used a balanced approach to take down the Grizzlies, with 6 players in double digits, but Malik Monk led the way with a season-high 31 points on 6-of-12, 50%, from beyond the arc.

Malik Monk tonight

31 Points (season high)
6 Assists
2 Rebounds
1 Steal
11-of-20 (55%) from the field
6-of-12 (50%) from 3
3-of-3 from the line

An absolute joy to watch hoop pic.twitter.com/OlXAqfw2HO

— Will Z. Stats (@will_zimmerle) January 4, 2025

Monk scored 11 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to help close out the game for the Kings. As the game slowed down and the Kings faced the tough half-court Grizzlies defense, Monk was able to get good looks off the dribble and on switches.

It wasn't just Monk that got the job done tonight. The Kings shot 21-of-47, 44.7%, from beyond the arc with seven players making a three. Monk had six, DeMar DeRozan, who doesn't generally shoot many, had four on seven attempts, and Trey Lyles continued his strong play off the bench shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from deep.

For the Grizzlies, Sacramento native Jaylen Wells scored a career-high 30 points on a hyper-efficient 8-of-9, 88.9%, from the field. Memphis played well on offense, but Wells' career night was a huge reason the game was as close as it was.

While Monk scoring a season-high and the Kings hitting their shots is great, one of the best takeaways from this game is how the Kings matched, or even exceeded, the Grizzlies' physicality.

In a game that kept getting chippier as it went on, the Kings didn't back down. De'Aaron Fox was called for a flagrant foul on Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jaren Jackson Jr. was called for a flagrant when he hip-checked Fox going up for a dunk.

Shots aren't always going to fall, but effort, intensity, and toughness can be replicated every single game. Over their three-game winning streak, the Kings look like they are finding their identity as a team that is going to outwork their opponent, which is an absolute joy to watch develop.

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