On This Date: Thornton Comes Up Clutch
Apr 15, 2020, 11:09 AM | Updated: 11:09 am
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Eight years ago today, Marcus Thornton scored 20 points and hit the game-winner against the Portland Trail Blazers
All athletic events will be on pause for the foreseeable future, which is a tough pill to swallow for sports fans around the world.
While this may be a rough time for Sacramento Kings fans, we can look back on some good times while we wait for basketball to make it’s return.
April 15, 2012: Kings 104, Blazers 103
During his time as a Sacramento King, Marcus Thornton certainly had a flair for the dramatic.
Trailing 103-102 to the Portland Trail Blazers with 5.8 seconds remaining, Thornton took the inbound pass from Isaiah Thomas, stepped back and drilled the go-ahead basket with 3.4 seconds remaining. Portland attempted a long-range prayer at the buzzer for the win but it was off the mark as the Kings would win by a final of 104-103.
Thornton scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds in the win, capping the final home game of the season off with a bang. The 24 year-old was finishing up a breakout season that saw him average 18.7 points per game–a career-high–as the Kings’ starting shooting guard.
DeMarcus Cousins scored 23 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Tyreke Evans scored 20 points in the win.
Isaiah Thomas chipped in with 18 points and dished eight assists, solidifying himself as a candidate to take over the starting point guard duties in 2012-13.
Sacramento finished the strike-shortened 2011-12 season with a 22-44 record, winning 16 of their games at home.
