Zach LaVine scored 29 of his season-high 42 points in the first half on Saturday, helping lead the visiting Sacramento Kings to a 127-111 victory over the Miami Heat.
LaVine made eight of his 13 3-point attempts for the Kings, who snapped a four-game losing streak, improving to 3-10 on the road. Keegan Murray added 16 points, while reserve Nique Clifford scored 15 points and DeMar DeRozan tallied 13 points. Maxime Raynaud finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Russell Westbrook had 12 points and 10 assists.
Precious Achiuwa finished with seven points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who led by as many as 28 points.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. led Miami with 27 points, followed by Simone Fontecchio’s 20 and Norman Powell’s 18. Andrew Wiggins scored 13 points and Nikola Jovic added 12 for the Heat, who dropped their third straight.
After holding a 17-point halftime-lead, the Kings’ commanding edge ballooned to 25 on Murray’s mid-range jumper and 3-pointer with 5:12 left in the third, forcing Miami’s timeout.
Jaquez and Clifford traded baskets in the final minute, as the Kings took a 101-78 lead into the fourth.
Raynaud’s floater and LaVine’s free throw put Sacramento ahead 118-96 at the 5:07 mark, before Jovic’s 3-pointer and Jaquez’s back-to-back layups pulled Miami within 15.
Westbrook’s three-point play with 2:16 remaining gave the Kings a 123-103 lead, punctuating the impressive road win.
LaVine hit all three of his first quarter 3-point attempts and had 18 first-quarter points for the Kings, who led 34-31 entering the second quarter.
Sacramento extended its lead to eight after Clifford’s five straight points and Malik Monk’s layup gave the Kings a 45-37 edge.
After Kel’el Ware’s dunk cut Miami’s deficit to two, LaVine hit two 3-pointers as part of a 10-0 Sacramento run, giving the Kings a 62-50 lead.
The Kings finished the first half on an 8-0 run, with LaVine’s layup extending the visitors’ halftime-lead to 72-55. LaVine had 29 points on 6-for-7 3-point shooting in the first half, while Powell’s 16 paced Miami.
–Field Level Media
