Guard Dexter Dennis (9) gets an easy lay up for the Stockton Kings against the Austin Hustle at AdventistHealth Arena in Stockton on Thu Jan 2, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings hosted the Memphis Hustle in their first game of 2025. The Kings played a strong defensive and offensive game and outlasted the Hustle 118-94 at AdventistHealth Arena in Stockton.

The Kings were assigned top prospect Devin Carter as well as center Orlando Robinson prior to the game, both of whom were in the starting lineup.

Carter, whose first game with Stockton was marred by fatigue, played a team leading 33 minutes, tied with guard Mason Jones. In just his second professional game, Carter recorded a double-double, grabbing 12 boards and putting up 17 points, going 6-15 from the field.

Dexter Dennis, who was coming off of the bench with Carter in the lineup, had a phenomenal offensive performance. He went 8-13 from the field, and 5-10 from three-point range. He also made an impact defensively, leading the team in +/- with +23.

A hot start put the Kings in the lead early, as they outscored the Hustle 27-12 in the first quarter. They further improved their lead in the second, when defense appeared to go out the window. Stockton scored 39 points, allowing only 26 from Memphis.

The trend continued when the Kings outscored Memphis in the third quarter as well, this time by a much narrower margin, 27-26. Heading into the final frame, Stockton had a significant 93-64 lead. They weren’t able to sweep all four quarters though, as the Hustle scored 30 in the fourth compared to 25 for Stockton. It didn’t matter to the Kings though, as they walked away as the victorious ones.

Over the course of the night, Memphis had six players reach double digits for points but they weren’t getting enough from their secondary players. Ultimately, with only their starters and one bench player getting on the scoreboard, it was far from enough to defeat the Kings.

The Kings improved to 3-0 on the season, while Memphis will continue to look for their first win, falling to 0-3.

Strong performances up and down the lineup, on both sides of the court, led to Stockton walking away with a decisive 118-94 win over Memphis.

The Kings will now go on the road for the first time in the regular season as they’ll face the Rip City Remix in a back-to-back for their next games.