Story by
Kings Have One of NBA’s 10 Craziest Games in History
- Story by
- Kings Have One of NBA’s 10 Craziest Games in History
(Cary Edmonson/USA TODAY Sports)
A 30-point lead in the late 2000s virtually guaranteed a team's win before the three-pointers changed the game, but the Sacramento Kings felt otherwise.
Sacramento had one of the craziest comebacks in NBA history against the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 12, 2009. The team clawed back from a 35-point deficit to win 102-98.
Advertisement
Their iconic win made Fastbreak Hoops' (@FastbreakHoop5) "Top 10 Craziest NBA Games Ever," posted on Friday on X .
Bulls forward John Salmons made an 11-foot jumper to give Chicago a 79-44 lead with under nine minutes in the third quarter. Sacramento started crawling back, led by rookie Tyreke Evans and power forward Jason Thompson, who combined for 15 points after Salmons' bucket.
The duo cut the Bulls' lead to 19 points heading into the fourth. The Kings put on a masterclass performance in the final 12 minutes.
They scored 33 points and held their opponent to 10. Six of Chicago's fourth-quarter points were free throws, and they couldn't guard Evans in the final minutes.
Advertisement
Evans went on a personal 8-0 run to close the game, cementing the second-largest comeback in NBA history at the time. The Utah Jazz hold the record at 36 points, defeating the Denver Nuggets 107-103 on Nov. 27, 1996.
Sacramento had one of the craziest games 16 seasons ago, but there is another matchup with a strong case for making the list: the Kings' 176-175 double-overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers .
Both teams were lights-out offensively, never scoring under 35 points in any quarter. Malik Monk scored a game-high 45 points, with Kawhi Leonard behind at 44.
Sacramento and Los Angeles had the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history, combining for 351 points. The Detroit Pistons and Nuggets combined for 370 points in a triple-overtime game, as Detroit won 186-184.
Advertisement
The Kings are rarely on the positive side of history. They had the third- worst defensive rating in NBA history last season and haven't won a playoff series since the Dallas Mavericks in 2002.
It's been a rough 20-plus seasons, but general manager Scott Perry is eager to turn the team around. He drafted Darius Acuff Jr. in this year's draft and could position himself to have cap space next offseason.
Perry had limited spending power to make changes this offseason, but he could hunt more impact role players next year. Acuff is a solid foundation piece for the future, and his general manager knows what kind of players he wants to surround his young star.
