DeMar DeRozan achieved a milestone while passing Vince Carter on the NBA's all-time scoring list during the Sacramento Kings' matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
DeRozan is going through the 17th season of his career, his second with the Kings. He has shined throughout his career as one of the most versatile scorers in the league, garnering praise for his ability to operate in the mid-range.
Going into the matchup, the veteran scorer produced 25,723 points throughout his regular-season career. He was sitting at the 24th spot on the all-time list, being behind Vince Carter who has 25,728 points.
DeRozan needed five points to tie Carter and six to pass him, something he ended up achieving against the Nuggets. In 21 minutes of action, he finished with a stat line of 11 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and a block. He shot 4-of-7 from the field, including 1-of-1 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
How DeMar DeRozan, Kings played against Nuggets
Despite DeMar DeRozan's impressive career feat, the Kings were unable to keep with the Nuggets in a 136-105 blowout loss.
Denver dominated to start the game, taking a 41-26 lead and never looking back. While Sacramento was offensively consistent, the defense was nowhere near where it needed to be to prevent the Nuggets from flourishing throughout the matchup.
Shot selection, ball movement and inside scoring made the difference in this matchup. The Nuggets prevailed in all three categories by making 59% of their total shots, creating 35 assists, and scoring 66 points inside the paint. It wasn't the same for the Kings as they converted just 45% of their total attempts, dished out 21 assists and produced just 46 points inside the paint.
Six players scored in double-digits for Sacramento in the loss, including DeRozan. Malik Monk led the team in scoring with 18 points, five assists, four rebounds, and a steal. He shot 5-of-11 overall, including 3-of-6 from downtown, and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Russell Westbrook came next with 17 points and five assists, Maxime Raynaud had 15 points and nine rebounds, while Keegan Murray put up 15 points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, Devin Carter provided 15 points and four assists.
Sacramento fell to a 6-19 record on the season, holding the 13th spot in the Western Conference standings. They are even with the Los Angeles Clippers while trailing the Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks by three games.
The Kings will look to bounce back in their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. ET.
