No De’Aaron Fox, no problem. DeMar DeRozan continues to show why he is one of the most clutch players in the league following his recent starring show.
The Kings are still fighting hard for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and their dramatic 128-129 win over the Dallas Mavericks was a major help.
The Mavericks are still looking to build into a future without Luka Doncic, but it may take some time for their new look roster to come together, especially given Anthony Davis’ latest injury.
Zach LaVine looked more comfortable in his second start for the Kings scoring 17 points but it was another star who would put the Mavericks to the sword, he nearly left the side.
DeMar DeRozan has long been a star in the league and it seems he’s continuing to get better as his NBA years go on.
DeRozan is averaging 21-3-3 this season but the Kings were nearly without the star after he declared his uncertainty about staying in Sacramento following Fox’s absence.
With the Kings down 127-128 with just 10 seconds remaining in overtime the ball was inbounded to DeRozan, who was being double-teamed, something he had faced all game.
Despite this DeRozan managed to get to the bassline and step through the double team to give his team a 129-128 victory. He finished the game with 42 points, seven rebounds and three assists and his clutch game-winning display did not go unnoticed.
One fan said: “DeRozan is CLUTCH with the step-through game-winner! 42-point masterclass by DeMar tonight!”
Another said: “You can always count on Derozan for those clutch moments,” while another said: “Definition of clutch in the dictionary: Demar DeRozan.”
The compliments continued to flow for the 35-year-old with many pointing out how dependable he is in big moments.
One said: “Derozan always big in clutch time,” another stated: “He’s got ice in his veins.”
“TOO CLUTCH DEMAR IS A PROBLEM,” another fan said.
This is not the first time this season that DeRozan has come up clutch for the Kings in overtime.
He dropped 9 overtime points in the team’s 123-118 double-overtime victory against the Heat.
Against the Mavericks, he shot 15-22 FG and 4-6 from behind the arc.
DeRozan explained that his teammates told him to go and ‘win the game.’
Speaking after the game he said: “I was just trying to be aggressive, my whole mindset coming into this game was to be aggressive. These games are definitely important going into the break and I didn’t want another game to slip away from us.
On the game-winning bucket DeRozan said: “I was just being patient, I knew it was coming. My teammates told me to go and win the game and I knew I was going to get a look someway, somehow.”
The Kings and DeRozan will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to three games when they face a struggling New Orleans Pelicans next time out.
