Keegan Murray surpasses 200 3-pointers in Kings’ win over Pelicans to extend rookie record

If you watched the first quarter of Tuesday’s game between the Kings and New Orleans Pelicans, you could have missed Keegan Murray on the court. The rookie was Sacramento’s only starter to not take a shot attempt. He had two rebounds as the Kings ended the frame up by three points despite shooting 2 of 14 from 3-point range.

Things opened up in the second quarter for the NBA’s most prolific rookie 3-point shooter in history. He made two from distance, going into halftime with six points, while Sacramento opened up a comfortable double-digit lead.

But in the third quarter, Murray’s impact was unmistakable. He launched six 3-point attempts, making five, while pushing the lead to 16 as Sacramento cruised to a 121-103 victory to clinch their first Pacific Division title in 20 years. Murray finished with 21 points, all coming via seven made 3-point shots on 10 tries, giving him 201 makes from distance on the season.

Given Murray broke the league’s rookie 3-point record March 29 with 188 makes, he became the first rookie in league history to eclipse 200 after Tuesday. He has three games remaining in the regular season to keep adding to his total.

“He has a chance to be special,” Kings coach Mike Brown said after Tuesday’s win. “Especially with the way he shoots the ball at his size. And with his ability to move without it, the sky’s the limit.”

All of Murray’s 3s in the decisive third quarter were assisted. The Kings were moving the ball quickly while Murray was finding open spots and making himself available to his teammates. It’s an area he’s seen growth in since his rookie season began.

“I think from the beginning of the year to now, I’ve had to work a lot harder for my shot. So I’m kinda realizing that,” Murray said. “It’s just playing at my pace — change the pace and things like that to get myself open. Then, once I get the ball, I just get in a rhythm and stay calm in my shot.”

Murray tied Kevin Huerter for the team lead with 201 made 3s on the season. Brown said Huerter is a key reason Murray has been able to thrive as a shooter complementing Sacramento’s distributors, starting with center Domantas Sabonis. Huerter is often moving without the ball at a blistering pace, even when the Kings are in their normal halfcourt offense, which Murray has done more and more.

“Being around Kevin has helped him grow a lot,” Brown said. “Because Kevin’s ability to create separation, not just for himself, but sometimes he creates separation because his pace is so good in the halfcourt ... the gravity of the defense goes to him, even when he doesn’t get the ball. So Keegan being able to play with him and see that, with the way he shoots the ball, has helped him grow probably quicker than he would have grown if Kevin wasn’t here.”

Murray and Huerter were both added by general manager Monte McNair in the offseason. The Kings are fifth in the NBA with 1,094 made 3s. Huerter and Murray have combined to make nearly 40% of them with a total of 402.

Murray, the No. 4 pick in last summer’s NBA draft out of Iowa, credited his growing comfort in his routine for him getting more acclimated on the court as the season went along. His routine was impacted when he dealt with a painful thumb injury to his left non-shooting hand in December that required him to wear a wrap for weeks.

“I think just being able to have a routine, it’s been the biggest thing for me (compared to) earlier in the season,” Murray said. “I had no routine. I guess I didn’t really figure out day to day what I needed to do, and now towards the end of the year, we have great vets like (Harrison Barnes), Domas, (De’Aaron) Fox. Those guys stick to a routine every single day and I’ve just been able to establish that within myself.”

Key in that routine is having the same breakfast every morning (bacon, eggs and fruit), along with going to the gym each morning at the same time, taking a nap at the same time daily and waking up at the same time.

Murray is likely to be named an All-Rookie First Team selection and is a candidate to get Rookie of the Year votes, although the Orlando Magic’s Paulo Banchero is the runaway favorite. But unlike Banchero, Murray has been in a unique situation as a fourth overall pick going to a team that will host a first-round playoff series.

The player taken after him, Jaden Ivey, whom many believed the Kings should have drafted at the time, has 113 3-pointers on the season. Murray is shooting 42% from 3 to Ivey’s 34%.

“Keegan, he’s a sponge,” Huerter said. “He’s a great listener. You can tell when guys talk to him, he nods his head, he listens. He doesn’t say much. Domas is in his ear a lot. I’m in his ear a lot. ... For how well he shoots the ball, he can be a threat at all times on the court. Just knowing how to cut, knowing how to space and using his shooting to get everything else open. I think he’s gotten a lot better at that as the year has gone on.”