Kings' 'heated' halftime talk inspires last-second win over Heat

Kings' 'heated' halftime talk inspires last-second win over Heat originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Accountability can work wonders – and apparently lead to last-second victories along the way.

Trailing by 13 points, it was a “heated” halftime locker room conversation that inspired the Kings' 111-110 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night at the Kaseya Center, behind Domantas Sabonis' one-handed putback off an offensive rebound 0, 7 seconds before the end.

“We knew we could play better,” Sabonis told NBC Sports California’s Kayte Christensen after the game. “It was heated there in the locker room. We’re a better team than we’re showing, and we came out and made a big run in the third quarter.”

Coach Mike Brown was outmuscled, overwhelmed and several key players were in foul trouble. Coach Mike Brown needed a response from his team in the second half, which ended the cross-city road trip 3-1.

The Kings found inspiration and responded.

“Again, we challenge our guys, they challenge each other,” Brown told reporters. “And in those cases, that’s what great teams do. Everyone wants to hold everyone else accountable. I shouldn't be the only one holding people accountable.

“Guys have to show up and say, ‘Hey, my bad. I have to do better.' Other guys have to stand up and say, ‘Hey, you gotta do better, you gotta do better, you gotta do better.’ But to do that, you all have to play at a high level; It's not about shooting the ball or anything like that, it's just about your effort, concentration and attention to detail.

“That was it. It was just about everyone holding each other accountable, no one taking anything personal and us all knowing that at the end of the day we all had a common goal. We wanted to try to win the ball game and that's exactly what we did. Somehow. Somehow.”

And as the statistics show, the responsibility that existed within the four walls of Sacramento revived the team's exhausted and broken spirit. Star guard De'Aaron Fox, for example, stormed out of the break.

Fox, who shot 0-for-11 from distance in Saturday's overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors, delivered an impressive 16 points in the third quarter.

Forward Keegan Murray admitted to reporters after the game that the Kings are at their best when an “aggressive” Fox – like the one on Monday – takes the floor.

“I mean, he was aggressive the whole time,” Murray said. “And when he is aggressive, we are at our best. We can make big runs. He was the focal point of our run in the third quarter.”

On Monday, accountability worked wonders, giving Sacramento its first win in Miami since Oct. 29, 2018. Brown and Co. carried the beam to South Beach.

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