The Sacramento Kings have claimed a one-point win over the LA Clippers in the second highest-scoring match in NBA history.
The double overtime thriller had it all with the Kings’ Malik Monk (45 points), De’Aaron Fox (42 points, 12 assists) and Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (44 points) each scoring more than 40 points.
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Monk was just the fifth player in the Kings’ history and just the second in the NBA this season to score 40 off the bench as well.
It was the fifth time in NBA history there had been three 40-point scorers in a match and the first time since 2012.
The incredible finish was complete and utter madness in the first match since Russell Westbrook moved to the Clippers.
The highest scoring match of all-time in the NBA remains a 186-184 Detroit Pistons triple overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on December 13 1983.
However, another period of overtime may have seen the record fall.
Incredibly, the Clippers appeared to have wrapped the game up, leading 175-169 with just under two minutes remaining but seven straight points to the Kings steal the one-point win.
The Clippers did have the final shot but missed its three-point attempt at the buzzer.
“It was fun. The atmosphere was crazy,” Monk said. “Seeing all the Kings fans in here, too — it was loud. The Kings’ side, too. We just stuck with it, man.
“Got down like 10 or 12 at one point in the fourth, came back. We just had our heads up, and we knew they were gonna let us back in it.”
On the other end of the floor, Leonard gave a much shorter response when asked about playing in the high-scoring thriller.
“It was ridiculous,” he said.
Social media was blown away by the stunning result.
The NBA social media team called it a “game of the year contender”.
Ramona Shelburne, ESPN Senior WriterJun 8, 2023, 02:15 AM ETCloseSenior writer for ESPN.comSpent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily NewsMIAMI -- This time of
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