DeMar DeRozan

Stranger things have happened in the modern-day NBA, but with both possession and an eight-point edge in the final half-minute, the Sacramento Kings’ victory goal no longer appeared to have question marks attached. Up for the idea of giving Sacramento’s fired-up home crowd one more reason to celebrate anyways, DeMar DeRozan added some punctuation of his own. Merely playing keepaway against a Memphis Grizzlies defense unsure of its plan of attack, DeRozan, meeting a could-be intentional foul with malicious intent of his own, spins baseline against Jay Huff with eyes magnetized on the rim. Surprising even his own teammates, the 16-year veteran springs upward, powering through a reverse jam that seals January 3, 2025’s victory. As has been the case for years, the fourth quarter was one to remember for DeRozan, as he joined two other teammates in collecting all 36 of the Kings’ points. Ensuring the lighting of a beam, DeRozan finished with 29 points (on 10-of-18 shooting), three rebounds, five assists, one block, and a season-best four triples.