Russell Westbrook praised Sacramento’s team effort after a 125-124 overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on Sunday at Golden 1 Center. “It’s great, man. How we did it, but we got to win. Don’t really matter what any of this say. As long as we got a win and now we can move forward,” he said.
Westbrook hit a critical corner three late in regulation to tie the game and force overtime. “Just standing ready, big shot, obviously needed, but it was good. The crowd was energized, stayed in with us, which was good especially during that time,” he said, reflecting on the moment.
The veteran guard also highlighted Sacramento’s recent resilience. “Just putting the best foot forward, try to stack up some wins… I think tonight we did a good job of getting over the hump and closing the game out,” Westbrook said, pointing to the team’s improved execution in tight situations.
Westbrook was dominant on the boards, finishing with 13 rebounds, an area he said was a key emphasis against Houston. “That Houston team… they do a lot of their damage on the offensive glass. That was big, especially when Steve-O’s out… it was big for us to be able to gain rebounding and get those loose balls,” he explained.
The Kings were led offensively by DeMar DeRozan’s 27 points and nine assists, while Dennis Schroder came off the bench for 24 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, including the game-winning three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in OT. Keegan Murray added 26 points, and Maxime Raynaud posted a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Houston’s Alperen Sengun scored 28 points with six rebounds, Kevin Durant added 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Jabari Smith Jr.’s streak of four consecutive double-doubles ended at 18 points. Sacramento overcame a sluggish start, trailing by 10 early, before rallying in the third and fourth quarters to force overtime.
The Kings improved to 7-22 with the hard-fought win, ending a five-game losing streak, while Houston fell to 17-9. Sacramento will host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
