Sacramento Kings: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

7. Kings defeat the 76ers on De’Aaron Fox game-winner

Another sign that the kids were all right in Sacramento was their fearlessness in the clutch. In 2017-18, the Kings took 20 shots in the final 15 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime with the intent to tie or take the lead. Fifteen of those shots were taken by players with a year or less of NBA experience.

The first one that led to a win came on Nov. 9, 2017 against the Philadelphia 76ers. Sacramento was down 108-107 with 18.8 seconds left in regulation. Garrett Temple threw a long inbounds pass from the baseline to De’Aaron Fox in the backcourt. Fox immediately took Sixers wing Robert Covington head-on in isolation.

After a quick size-up, Fox pulled up and knocked down a mid-range jumper to give Sacramento the advantage with 13.4 seconds remaining. Philadelphia couldn’t respond on the other end, settling for a contested elbow jumper by Joel Embiid, and the Kings came out victorious 109-108.

Teams always want to get the ball in their best player’s hands in the final seconds. However, in 2017-18, several of the Kings’ young players were willing to step up in the clutch. That would prove helpful time and time again throughout the season, and it should be an encouraging sign for the franchise moving forward.