By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Sunday afternoon in Sacramento. The Kings welcomed in the Houston Rockets on Sunday. The Rockets were coming off a victory on the road in Portland on Friday, 123-107.

The Kings were coming off back-to-back wins against the Lakers on the road and the Spurs at home. The Kings defeated the Spurs 131-129 on Thursday night. It was a nail-biter game as the Kings won with a last-possession bucket. The Kings were set to take on the Rockets on Sunday at 3 PM PST as they looked to move to 12 games over .500. The Kings fell to the Rockets 112-104 on Sunday afternoon.

Game recap: In the first quarter, the Kings came out of the gate strong. They managed to jump to an early lead by outscoring the Rockets 30-23. Kings center Domantas Sabonis immediately impacted the game. Domas finished the quarter with eight points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Keegan Murray also started hot, scoring eight first-quarter points.

The Kings played well in the second quarter. However, the Rockets were able to make up a little ground in the game. The Rockets were able to make a run late in the second quarter to cut the Kings lead to 59-54.

The Rockets outscored the Kings 31-29 in the second quarter, partly thanks to Fred VanVleet. VanVleet hit two big three-pointers late in the quarter to bring the Rockets to within five points. Sabonis had a 14-point and 10-rebound double-double by halftime to lead the Kings.

In the third quarter, the game came to a screeching halt. The Kings offense completely disappeared in the third quarter as they had only scored seven points at 4:36 in the third. The Kings couldn’t buy a bucket, and the Rockets kept a steady offensive pace during the quarter.

The Kings were outscored by the Rockets 32-14 in the third to dig themselves a big hole. The Rockets would lead 86-73 heading into the fourth quarter. The Kings were shooting 4/22 on three-point attempts thus far in the game, which was the biggest issue. The Kings also had a bad stretch of turnovers that saw the Rockets extend their lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings fought, but ultimately, they came up short against the Rockets. It was another meltdown game for the Kings against an opponent they should have defeated. The Kings’ storyline of losing against bad teams has become a tired one this season, but it prevails as the central theme.

The Kings outscored the Rockets in the fourth quarter 31-26, but it was too little too late. The Kings fell to the Rockets 112-104. Leading the way in defeat for the Kings was Sabonis, who scored 25 points. VanVleet led the way in victory for the Rockets with 22 points. It is worth noting that with 30 seconds left in the game, an apparent knee injury. He was wheeled off the court in a wheelchair.

Up Next: The Kings will take on the Milwaukee Bucks inside Golden One Center in downtown Sacramento on Tue Mar 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM PST.