Keegan Murray averaged a plus-minus of 11 throughout the Sacramento Kings’ four-game road trip throughout the week.
The third-year forward contributed to the Kings’ 113-96 blowout win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday with 14 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal on 6-of-14 shooting from the field in 32 minutes of action.
Murray continued his momentum three days later, logging 39 minutes and posting a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds along with three assists and one block on 6-of-12 made field goals in the 123-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
The Kings traveled from Atlanta to Toronto to face the Raptors on Saturday. Murray registered his second-straight game with a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block on 6-of-12 shooting in 39 minutes. But the efficient performance wasn’t enough, as Sacramento fell, 131-128 in overtime.
Sacramento secured its third victory of the week over the Miami Heat on Monday, 111-110. Seeing 39 minutes of action for the third-straight game, Murray tallied 14 points, six rebounds, one assist, and one block on 5-of-11 shooting.
The Kings have won their last four of five games and own a 4-3 record two weeks into the season.
Kris Murray
Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray saw a dip in playing time as the week went on, a stark reminiscent of last year’s roller coaster season that saw them finish 21-61 and last place in the Western Conference.
The second-year player logged 19 minutes and produced five points, right rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block on 2-of-4 made field goals in the 106-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Kris followed up with nine points, three rebounds, and one steal on 3-of-7 shooting in 22 minutes of action in the 137-114 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
The forward’s minutes fell to 13 in the 103-97 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. In those 13 minutes, Kris furnished three points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal on 1-of-4 made field goals.
The 118-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans saw Kris play a small portion of eight minutes and tally one point and one rebound in what was a season-low in minutes thus far.
Portland holds a 3-5 record and is projected by many analysts to miss the playoffs this season.
Luka Garza
Though he was expected to see an increased role this season, Minnesota Timberwolves center Luka Garza has barely gained any production so far.
Saturday’s 113-103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs saw the fourth-year center log just one rebound at the end of the match. Monday’s 114-93 blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets allowed Garza to see seven minutes of action, where he produced two points and three rebounds.
Minnesota owns a 4-3 record through seven games. The Wolves are a popular pick amongst NBA fans to compete for their first ever league championship after advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2023-24.