The Stockton Kings forward Skal Labissiere (8) takes a jump shot against the Texas Legends at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Thu Jan 23, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings hosted the Texas Legends on Thursday night in the second-half of a back-to-back. After defeating the South Bay Lakers Wednesday night, the Kings had no time to reset. They let that adrenaline from the beating the Lakers carry over beating the Legends 109-95 at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton

The first quarter was filled with back-and-forth from both teams, as the majority of the frame was spent with only a single possession separating the sides. After numerous lead changes, it would be Texas who led at the end of the quarter by the narrowest of margins, 26-25.

That trend would continue for most of the second quarter, but a late run by the Kings allowed them to extend a lead to seven points and they would maintain that gap headed into the break, leading 56-49 after 24 minutes.

It was more back and forth in the third quarter, but by the end, the Kings had maintained their seven point lead, 80-73. Texas was going to need a massive fourth quarter to have a chance to walk away with a win, but that didn’t happen. The Kings outscored the Legends 29-22 in the final frame and ultimately walked away with a 109-95 victory after the full 48 minutes.

Isaac Jones had another phenomenal night for Stockton, dropping 31 points on the night. At this rate, it would be surprising if he doesn’t start getting more attention from the Kings’ brass up in Sacramento. Jones was one of three players with a double-double for Stockton, as Isaiah Crawford had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Terry Taylor had 12 and 10 of his own.

Meanwhile for Texas, their top scorer was Jarod Lucas who had 18 points on the night coming off of the bench but ended up playing more minutes than anyone on the team. Their highest scoring starter was center Jamarion Sharp. Sharp also led the Legends in boards, with eight on the night.

The Kings’ current four-game winning streak has given them a bit of breathing room at the top of the Western Conference over the second place Santa Cruz Warriors. They’re playing with confidence and seem like a team that could be a force to be reckoned with over the course of the season.

The Kings host the Legends and will meet again on Sunday, in Stockton in a 2:00pm PST matinee matchup. Considering how even this game was for the majority of the night, it should be an entertaining game to say the least.