Malik Monk’s night didn’t exactly start how it finished.
A career 85 percent free-throw shooter, Malik missed four straight free-throw attempts in the second quarter of the Kings’ 121-118 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center. The Trail Blazers let him hear it as he ran back on defense after the fourth consecutive miss.
But Monk kept attacking. And attacking some more. After a 2-for-6 start from the charity stripe, Monk swished his last 13 free-throw attempts, including two game-tying free throws with 8.1 seconds left to send the game to overtime, and two more with 13 seconds remaining in OT to give the Kings a three-point lead for good.
Was there any chance Monk was going to miss those clutch free throws?
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“Hell no. Hell no. Not those,” Monk told reporters after the game. “They were talking to me when I missed before, so I was just waiting for a moment where I could show them up. So I did.”
Monk’s shot wasn’t dropping for most of the game. He missed all seven attempts from 3-point range and finished 4 of 16 from the field. But Monk kept attacking the rim and picking up fouls while also dishing out a career-high 10 assists for his third career double-double.
His ability to run the pick-and-roll with the Kings’ big men has been crucial for coach Mike Brown’s second unit this season. On Wednesday night, it was Domantas Sabonis and Alex Len benefiting from timely passes in the paint.
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“If I’m not hitting shots, I always find another way to impact the day,” Monk said. "I finally got 10 assists for the first time in my career. I just try to do stuff different if I’m not hitting shots. I don’t care about the misses. I’ve got crazy confidence.
“So I knew I was going to keep going into the lane and getting fouled. I knew [my shot] would start dropping in at some point, so I didn’t stop attacking.”
“He had a huge game for us, and he just found a way to get something done,” Brown said of Monk after the game. “And that something was he attacked, he attacked the right way and he got to the free-throw line. We needed every single one of those free-throw attempts that he shot.”
It was a much-needed win for the Kings, who picked up their first win without injured star guard De’Aaron Fox. Sacramento fell in its three previous games, losing by one point to the rival Golden State Warriors and twice in ugly fashion to the Houston Rockets on the road.
Back home at Golden 1 Center under the victory beam Wednesday, the Monk and the Kings gritted out an ugly victory.
“It just shows that we’re together,” Monk said of the win. “We’ve got guys that are ready to step up when their name is called – whether it’s five minutes, two minutes – it don’t matter. We’re together.
“We’re in it for one goal – and that’s to be playing in April.”
