By Mark Haynes | OBSERVER Correspondent
The Keegan Murray chant is multiplying in popularity and was utilized frequently on Saturday night inside the Golden 1 Center. While the Sacramento Kings overpowered the Utah Jazz without DeAaron Fox in the lineup, 23-year-old Murray had a career night.
The night ended with Murray leaving thousands of fans in awe, but the day peacefully began with a breakfast that gave him the fuel to perform at the highest level. After scoring a career-high 47 points and draining 12 three-pointers, Murray revealed his first meal of the day.
“Eggs, bacon, and fruit,” Murray told the media with a smile. “That’s what I eat every single day.”
The Murray special was part of the journey to setting multiple franchise records. He scored the most points in a quarter, passing Mitch Richmond, who scored 25 against the Houston Rockets in 1995, and he made the most three-pointers in a single quarter (7), passing his current teammate Harrison Barnes, who shared the record with Omri Casspi who both made six.
Murray’s majestic performance even got the attention of the three-point king of the NBA, Stephen Curry. After the Golden State Warriors defeated the Brooklyn Nets before the Kings’ game concluded, a reporter updated Curry about the game Murray was having. When the reporter said Murray started the game 12-of-13, Curry’s response was priceless and it left him at a loss for words.
“He did what,” Curry asked with excitement.
Murray was one three-pointer shy of Curry’s career-high (13) and two away from Klay Thompson’s NBA record (14). Although he could not surpass them, he set a new franchise record with his 12 makes, passing Buddy Hield’s 11 in 2019.
An astonishing individual performance from Murray propelled the Kings to a 125-104 victory over the Utah Jazz. It gave the team their 15th win of the season and ninth victory at home.