Kings’ Malik Monk drops season-high 39 points in statement win over Timberwolves

Rudy Gobert side-stepped Domantas Sabonis for a lefty layup leading to two of his 16 factors with 2:20 left within the third quarter Friday. Gobert received away with an an off-hand elbow to the throat of Sabonis, trimmed the Minnesota Timberwolves’ deficit to 81-79 and unknowingly modified the sport all of sudden.

Malik Monk was seething on the lack of a whistle for his large man. He instructed the closest official about it, and was loud sufficient to be heard on the printed. Gobert trotted all the way down to the other finish of the courtroom and bumped Monk out of his method within the course of.

Monk responded with some phrases — presumably NSFW — after which dropped 32 of his season-high 39 factors to raise the Sacramento Kings to a 124-120 time beyond regulation win in opposition to the top-seeded group within the Western Convention. He landed well timed buckets en path to his second-highest-scoring recreation with the Kings and his 35 second-half factors had been a profession excessive for any half. Monk solidified himself as a contender for Sixth Man of the Yr with the efficiency.

Malik Monk received BUCKETS tonight within the Kings OT win 😤🪣

39 PTS (season excessive) 16-29 FGM5 3PM4 AST pic.twitter.com/QrD0G1yvrl

— NBA (@NBA) March 2, 2024

Sacramento handed the Timberwolves their seventh house lack of the season, largely powered by Monk’s dominance over the Minnesota protection, and are up to now the one group to beat them twice on their house ground.

“I needed to get it going,” Monk mentioned of his efficiency. “Someone in addition to Domantas (Sabonis) and Keegan (Murray) was going to should step up. I feel me and Davion (Mitchell) did that, particularly with the second unit. Trey (Lyles) had some large performs. However yeah man, I simply knew I needed to get it going in some unspecified time in the future and I used to be attending to the lane and midrange and the circulate opened issues up for me.”

Monk had 4 factors with simply over three minutes to play within the third body. He completed his night with a game-high 39 factors, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal in 33 minutes of motion — all off the bench. He shot 16 of 29 from the sector and 5 of 8 from behind the arc.

The previous Kentucky product stepped in to information the Kings in fellow Wildcat De’Aaron Fox’s absence. Fox missed his second consecutive recreation with a left knee contusion he suffered in Monday night time’s loss to the Miami Warmth.

“I feel it was a press release win,” Monk mentioned. “Although (Anthony Edwards) left they usually had one in all their All-Stars go away at half, I nonetheless suppose it was a press release win as a result of we didn’t have one in all our All-Stars and Domantas went out late. I imply we simply stayed collectively man, it was a group effort. We had slightly group assembly earlier than we left yesterday, in Denver.

“To speak about that we needed to take this sh– critical as a result of we received 23 video games left I feel now. … We knew we needed to come collectively and simply outwork someone.”

After posting 11 factors, two rebounds and two assists on 2-of-11 taking pictures, Edwards was dominated out at halftime resulting from private causes. However Sacramento was additionally with out its greatest participant in Fox, who was averaging 31.6 factors, 7.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists and a couple of.6 steals by his final 5 video games on 52.1 p.c taking pictures.

Sabonis additionally briefly exited after taking a Karl-Anthony Cities knee to the midsection late within the third quarter earlier than returning within the fourth. He continued on his tear of 42-straight double-doubles earlier than fouling out with 21 factors to associate with 15 rebounds and eight assists, each group highs, and three blocks.

The players-only assembly Monk alluded to helped manifest this assertion win.

“I. Freaking. Find it irresistible,” Coach Mike Brown mentioned throughout his postgame information convention. “I’ve been speaking internally to our entrance workplace, to our coaches, even to our group. We gained’t attain the heights that we will attain till you guys take possession. As a head coach, you’ll be able to push and carry the group solely to date. There’s received to be a time limit to the place it comes from inside. They discuss to at least one one other, they maintain one another accountable they usually take possession in regardless of the heck is occurring in entrance of them.

“So, for them to have that for the primary time. Man, I truly went out and had a drink final night time. It was partly due to that,” Brown mentioned as he chuckled.

Friday was a chief instance of his group taking possession of it. Particularly after the disappointing loss at Golden 1 to a short-handed Warmth group with out Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier. Which was adopted by a Denver Nuggets thrashing by 21 factors, which the Kings at one level trailed by 32.

With out Fox, Sacramento performed impressed basketball whereas one in all its two leaders was wanting on from the bench.

“I’ll let you know what, it was a fantastic win for us on the highway,” Brown mentioned.

“I assumed tonight we did a great job of taking part in quick. … However I assumed our degree of physicality actually confirmed tonight. We had been extraordinarily bodily in each halves and one option to present was there have been 11 50-50 balls on the market and we got here up with eight of them. For us, that’s large.”

Keon Ellis — who began instead of Fox and has seen his minutes fluctuate this season — spearheaded Sacramento’s physicality. His game-high 4 steals earned him the defensive participant of the sport crown. Two of which got here inside the recreation’s opening minutes.

“Shoutout to Keon for staying prepared,” Mitchell, who tied his season excessive with 16 factors on 7-of-8 taking pictures, mentioned. “He hasn’t performed in a very long time, and he got here out and set the tone for us to win this recreation. All through the entire recreation we sort of picked up from him and his strain defensively.”

Staying prepared is a typical theme for Ellis. The previous Alabama standout has gone from a two-way contract after going undrafted in 2022 to lately signing three-year deal.

GO DEEPER

‘He stayed prepared’: Keon Ellis shines with profession night time as Kings outlast Thunder

However again to the Monk mastery. Fourth-quarter Fox grew to become a phenomenon final season. The fourth quarter Friday, although, belonged to Monk as he scored 18 of his 39.

“You understand with Fox out, we would have liked to generate factors from someone,” Brown mentioned. “For Malik to attain 39 factors in an time beyond regulation recreation for us was large. He was simply unbelievable offensively for us, particularly down the stretch.

“The nice groups at all times have two or three guys like that, the place typically you don’t should name a play. You simply say, ‘Right here’s the ball. Go make a play for your self or on your teammates.’ And Malik did that.”

Although he couldn’t join on a 29-foot game-winning 3-point try, Monk capped off his dominant night time by outscoring the Timberwolves himself in time beyond regulation. He made up for his miss to shut regulation by sinking each of his long-range makes an attempt, whereas Minnesota was held to 5 factors as a unit through the recreation’s last 5 minutes.