The Sacramento Kings shooting guard Malik Monk led with 28 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on Mon Mar 18, 2025 at the Golden 1 Center (Sacramento Kings photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (39-28) were back in action on Monday night at Golden One Center. The Kings last played on Saturday as they took on the New York Knicks at home. The Kings dropped that game to the Knicks 98-91. The Kings would have the day off on Sunday before welcoming in their fellow Western Conference foe, the Memphis Grizzlies (23-46).

Memphis has been plagued by injuries all year as star Ja Morant is gone for the season. The Grizzlies wanted to play spoiler on the Kings as the race in the Western Conference tightens. The Kings came away with a home victory over the Grizzlies 121-111.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out slow on offense. The Kings looked out of joint and not in rhythm on the offensive end early. In the opening few plays of the game, Kevin Huerter would also leave with an elbow injury.

The Kings were outscored by the Grizzlies 28-35 in the first quarter to go down early. It was a game that the Kings certainly shouldn’t lose. So, the fans would wait for a bounce-back quarter in the second.

In the second quarter, the Kings bounced back with a statement. The Kings scored 29 points in the second quarter to keep the offense on track. However, the quarter’s story would be holding the Grizzlies to just 15 points in the second.

The Kings would enter halftime with a 57-47 lead over the Memphis Grizzlies. Domantas Sabonis led the Kings in scoring in the first half with 13 points. GG Jackson was the Grizzlies first-half leading scorer with 13 points.

In the third quarter, the Kings couldn’t extend the lead. The Kings and Grizzlies battled in the third and largely just traded shots most of the quarter. De’Aaron Fox had some late-quarter heroics, hitting three straight three-pointers to help the Kings score 27 points in the quarter. The Grizzlies would score 29 points in the quarter to get a few points back in the game. The Kings would go into the fourth quarter leading 84-76.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings would falter and give up the lead. The Kings, leading by eight going into the quarter, would lose the lead, and it would be a tie game at 99 apiece with 2:58 minutes to play. Defensive complacency and made shots would erase the Kings lead against the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies would take the lead with 33 seconds remaining.

The Kings would be down 105-103 with Coach Brown calling a timeout to draw up a play. The Kings would score, and the Grizzlies would send the game to overtime at 105-105. The Grizzlies outscored the Kings 29-21 in the fourth quarter.

In overtime, it was all Malik Monk and the Kings. Malik took over the overtime period and put the Kings on his back. The Kings would defeat the Grizzlies 121-111. The Kings outscored the Grizzlies 16-6 in the overtime period. The Kings leading scorer in the game was Malik Monk, who scored 28 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way for the Grizzlies in defeat with 25 points.

Up Next: The Kings will travel to Toronto to take on the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday at 4:30 PM PST.