Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox weren’t happy after the disappointing loss tonight. The Sacramento Kings hosted the Miami Heat after a dominating win against the LA Clippers last night. While Sac-Town was expected to light the beam, the Heat strangled them for a comfortable 121-110 win. Following the game, franchise superstar Fox and sharpshooter Murray went on air to criticize the team’s performance.
Fox said, “We have to play better. We have to be able to get stops,” while he also praised the Heat duo Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Bam Adebayo for their explosive night.
"We have to play bettter. We have to be able to get stops…"
– De'Aaron Fox after their loss to the Miami Heat
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) February 27, 2024
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This was not the end of the monologue. Fox continued by saying, “What (Jaquez and Adebayo) did one on one really hurt us“.
"What (Jaquez and Adebayo) did one on one really hurt us."
– De'Aaron Fox
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) February 27, 2024
And this wasn’t the end of it all. Following him, Keegan Murray, disappointed with the team’s effort, said, “Effort is something you have complete control over every night.”
Keegan Murray: "Effort is something you have complete control over every night."
He obviously wasn't satisfied with tonight's performance.
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) February 27, 2024
Following a slump, the Miami men have come back stronger with a four-game winning streak. They stepped on the court shorthanded without Jimmy Butler, who missed the game because of a suspension. The league suspended the 34-year-old for reportedly instigating and engaging in an on-court physical altercation.
While it seemed like the Kings would sweep the Butler-less Heat, considering their dominant win against the Clippers, it wasn’t the case. Bam Adebayo found Butler’s replacement in the rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr.. The 23-year-old dropped 26 points with 3 steals, supporting Adebayo’s 28-point night. On the other hand, Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox had an impressive game, dropping 28 and 27 points, respectively. Even though the duo matched up to Heat’s effort; they didn’t have enough support from their teammates. The Heat bench contributed 34 points whereas the Kings’ bench could only pitch it 17 points.
Let’s take a closer look at the game and the point where the Heat pressed the gas to strangle the home team.
Bam Adebayo orchestrates a sweet win
Bam Adebayo anchored the game for the Heat at both ends of the court. He finished the game with impressive 28 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block. Importantly, it wasn’t a one man effort to win the game. The visitors brought out their best defense in the second half to steal the game.
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Heat duo Bam Adebayo (28 PTS) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (26 PTS) led the charge in Miami's win over the Kings 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VMuJ5OrCHt
— NBA (@NBA) February 27, 2024
The game was evenly poised until the first half, with the score at 65-62. But it was the third quarter when the Heat completely strangled the King’s offense and produced a 20-point lead. The visitors went on a 17-2 run in the last 5 minutes of the third quarter. Following that, the Kings fought back and came close to a 4-point deficit in the last quarter. However, Bam and Jaquez Jr. pulled the game back for a sweet 121-110 win.
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Read More: Clippers Arena Lights the Beam for Kings After “Fox Show” Take Over LA
What do you make of Fox and Murray’s criticism of the team’s performance? Let us know in the comments below.