Kings News: A ‘Defensive Player of the Game’ chain, Keegan Murray sets career high

We Learned a lot from the Sacramento Kings resilient victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. While we were left with a few Kings burning questions, we still got plenty of news on the night regarding the Kings themselves and the NBA in general.

De’Aaron Fox missed the game in Cleveland but there is not yet any further update on his status. The Kings will be playing the New York Knicks on Sunday evening and as of now, Fox could be available for that one.

So, how exactly were the Kings able to pick up the win despite not having their star point guard available? It started and ended with the team’s defensive effort, which was fueled by the Kings other star, Domantas Sabonis.

Sabonis was rewarded for his production on defense. Not only did head coach Mike Brown praise his effort in his postgame press conference, but he also crowned him as the first player to hold the new ‘Defensive Player of the Game’ chain.

It’s a fun idea that has been done in various ways across all sports. Sabonis didn’t actually win anything he gets to take home and keep on a shelf but he won something within the locker room and the team seemed to absolutely love the idea.

Look how great Sabonis looks with the chain on. The team is going to buy in and have fun with this idea just like they bought into and have had fun with the ‘Light the Beam’ idea.

Good vibes continue in Sacramento.

More Kings news

• Rookie forward Keegan Murray set a new career high for three-pointers made in the win over the Cavaliers. He made six of his eight shots from behind the arc.
• Davion Mitchell started in place of De’Aaron Fox and finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
• Keon Ellis (Two-Way contract) was once again active but did not see the court for the Kings.
• Veteran guard Trey Burke will be joining the Kings G-League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, according to the leagues’ transaction page.

More NBA news

• The Pelicans picked up their sixth straight win on Friday night, beating the Suns 128-117. It moves the Pelicans into first place in the Western Conference as they have the longest active winning streak in the NBA.
• Rudy Gobert returned to Utah for the first time since being traded from the Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves this past offseason. He had 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Timberwolves victory.