Malik Monk scored 32 points, Maxime Raynaud paired 22 points with 10 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings snapped a two-game losing streak with a 126-122 win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
Monk, as a reserve, also had six assists and knocked down 7 of 13 from 3-point range.
Devin Carter added 16 off the bench for Sacramento (19-53), and Precious Achiuwa posted 14 points and 15 boards.
Ben Saraf contributed 22 points off the bench for the Nets (17-54), who suffered their seventh straight loss.
Malachi Smith and Ziaire Williams contributed 18 points each, and Nolan Traore 17.
Brooklyn trailed 125-122 with 6.2 seconds remaining when Traore collected an inbound pass, then stepped out of bounds.
The Nets unsuccessfully challenged in a review of the call, before Raynaud hit a free throw to seal it.
Monk’s 12 first-quarter points, including 4-of-5 threes, sparked Sacramento and trimmed the Nets’ advantage to 34-30 after one.
Kings guard Killian Hayes hurt his left toe in the second period before exiting the contest with 7:08 remaining.
Brooklyn center Danny Wolf hobbled off at that same time favoring his left ankle after landing awkwardly on teammate Terance Mann’s foot.
The lead swapped hands 13 times in the first half, which finished with Brooklyn up 62-57.
The Nets only had one turnover at the half, but Sacramento was easily winning the rebounds 28-15, Raynaud with seven in the second frame alone.
Mann and Raynaud went forehead-to-forehead in a heated exchange midway through the third period and had to be separated.
The Kings’ Dylan Cardwell swatted Chaney Johnson’s shot and let out a scream in celebration late in the third quarter, the play finishing with a Carter pull-up with 1.5 seconds left to cap an 8-2 close from the Kings, who crept ahead 85-82 with one to play.
Nique Clifford rolled his left ankle with 10:58 on the clock in the fourth, leaving Sacramento without its starting backcourt, after already being down the sidelined Russell Westbrook (right foot soreness).
Monk’s seventh trey and Carter’s free throw pushed the Kings’ cushion to 121-113 with 1:25 to play, before Brooklyn scored the next seven points to close the gap to 121-120.
The two teams play again in New York on March 29.
–Field Level Media
