While a throng of purple-clad visiting fans were already celebrating on Wednesday, De’Aaron Fox was watching from the bench as the moments ticked down in Sacramento’s 120-80 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
For Fox, drafted by the Kings in 2017, the wait was finally over as Sacramento clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
“We want to do bigger things, but 16 years — that’s a long time,” Fox said.
Photo: AP
Fox finished with 18 points in the victory, which also gave the Kings home-court advantage. The team’s 16-year playoff drought was the longest in NBA history and the longest active post-season dry spell among teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB.
“Definitely with this team, I think you’re just playing for a higher purpose,” Fox said. “And I think we have a team that’s capable and we know that we can continue to get better.”
The last time the Kings made the playoffs, Fox was eight years old.
Photo: AP
Kings rookie Keegan Murray made his 188th three-pointer of the season with 6 minutes, 44 seconds to go in the third quarter to set the NBA record, passing Donovan Mitchell’s mark of 187 set in 2017-2018.
Murray, who flashed an understated grin after the shot fell, finished with 13 points.
Malik Monk finished with 19 points off the bench and Kevin Huerter added 17.
The Kings fans at Portland’s Moda Center celebrated with the team’s rallying cry: “Light the Beam.”
“For all the support they’ve given us over the years, continuing to come to the arena, heartbreak, frustration and disappointment season after season,” forward Harrison Barnes said. “To finally get this moment for them, it’s everything.”
The Kings (46-30) sit in third in the Western Conference. The first-placed Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies, who sit three games back, had already clinched berths in the post-season.
Rookie Shaedon Sharpe had 30 points for the Blazers, who have lost four straight and 10 of their past 11 games. The loss to the Kings eliminated Portland from playoff contention.
Portland were depleted, with regular starters Damian Lillard (right calf), Jusuf Nurkic (right knee), Anfernee Simons (right foot) and Jerami Grant (left quad) all nursing injuries. It got a bit worse for them when Keon Johnson broke a finger in the shootaround.
Only seven Blazers played.
The Kings are 23-14 on the road this season, third-best in the NBA. They have avoided extended losing streaks, with their longest at the start of the season when they opened with four straight.
“Our guys are excited about it,” Kings coach Mike Brown said about finally reaching the playoffs. “They’re excited about the way that they played tonight and the accomplishments that they’ve had so far. They were excited for Keegan, but in the same breath, and not to downplay anything, they expect more.”
Elsewhere on Wednesday, it was:
‧ 76ers 116, Mavericks 108
‧ Bulls 110, Lakers 121
‧ Grizzlies 132, Clippers 141
‧ Knicks 101, Heat 92
‧ Nets 123, Rockets 114
‧ Pacers 136, Bucks 149
‧ Spurs 117, Jazz 128
‧ Suns 107, Timberwolves 100
‧ Thunder 107, Pistons 106
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For almost 30 minutes, Vitomir Maricic did not take a breath. Face down in a pool, surrounded by anxious onlookers, the Croatian freediver fought spasming pain to redefine what doctors thought was possible. When he finally surfaced, he had smashed the previous Guinness World Record for the longest breath-hold underwater by nearly five minutes. However, even with the help of pure oxygen before the attempt, it had pushed him to the limit. “Everything was difficult, just overwhelming,” Maricic, 40, told reporters, reflecting on the record-breaking day on June 14. “When I dive, I completely disconnect from everything, as if I’m not even there.
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