DeRozan joins historic NBA club in Kings’ stunning win over Spurs, originally broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area

Great things can happen every night.

The Kings celebrated star guard DeMar DeRozan becoming the 30th player in NBA history to reach 24,000 career points with a much-needed 140-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at Frost Bank Center.

Sacramento’s 140 points are a season high and, in some ways, a fitting tribute to one of the league’s all-time leading scorers.

“That’s just an absurd number,” Kings coach Mike Brown told reporters. “But when you’re around him, you can see how he got there.

“His ability to get to his spot, and I think everyone on that list had one or two points where it was over when they got there. So since I’m near DeMar, it makes sense that it would be on the list in the short time I spent there. But it’s just an absurd amount of points to score for anyone.”

Four of the Kings’ five starters finished the night with at least 20 points, with DeRozan scoring a team-high 23 points. But as much as Brown and Co. benefited from the starter’s performance, Kevin Huerter made a significant impact off the bench, scoring 16 points and making all four of his 3-point attempts.

Keon Ellis, on the other hand, returned to Brown’s rotation after logging two consecutive DNPs. He finished the game with three points, four steals and three assists.

At the start of the second quarter, following a free throw, DeRozan became the sixth active player to reach the milestone, joining current NBA stars LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

Over 24,000 points later, the six-time NBA All-Star is proud to be part of such an elite list of players.

“It’s always amazing the milestone you can achieve,” DeRozan said. “If you just think about the history of the league, to be in the top 30 all-time in scoring and still have the opportunity to contribute is beyond humbling.

“I never imagined this coming to the league: being at the top with some of the best players to ever play the game. “It’s definitely humbling for me. It just says a lot about my career.”

Sacramento’s first win of the season against San Antonio, which was without center Victor Wembanyama, follows a string of disappointing losses, including Thursday night’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

With DeRozan part of the 24,000-point club and coming off a high-profile win, Brown and Co. are certainly more optimistic heading into Sunday’s home game against the Utah Jazz.

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