Stockton Kings forward Skal Labissiere (8) scored 40 points leading the Kings in scoring against the Iowa Wolves at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Sat Feb 8, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings were back at it on Saturday night, as they looked to get revenge for a disappointing loss the night before. The Iowa Wolves on the other hand, were looking to continue building their momentum at home and try to start climbing up the standings by sweeping one of the G League’s best teams. The Kings who were one of the hottest teams in the G League were upset by the Wolves 125-120 losing the two game series in Iowa.

The Kings got off to a better start this time out, leading after the first quarter 34-32. There was certainly more to be desired defensively, as even though they scored a solid number of points, they weren’t able to pull away from the home team. The second quarter was very similar.

Iowa narrowly outscored the Kings in the second, 29-28 however Stockton still maintained a one point lead. At this point, it seemed obvious that a second straight upset could be in the cards, as the Kings hadn’t come out with the energy that you typically see from a top team after an unexpected loss.

Coming out of halftime, the Wolves were on fire. They dominated offensively, outscoring Stockton 38-27 and taking a big lead heading into the final frame. With Iowa leading 99-89 heading into the fourth quarter, the Kings once again found themselves needing to climb out of a sizable hole if they were to walk away victorious.

The Kings had a strong fourth quarter, outscoring Iowa but similar to the night before, it was too little, too late. When the game was settled, Iowa walked away with a sweep over the top team in the Western Conference.

The Wolves walked away with a 125-120 win, improving their record to 4-14 on the season. Meanwhile, the Kings fell to 14-6 and gave the Austin Spurs the opportunity to catch up if they win their three games in hand.

Skal Labissiere had a phenomenal night for the Kings, going 16-23 from the field and putting up 40 points which set a new season high for the 28-year-old big man from Haiti.

Despite Skal’s strong performance, it seems clear that the Kings are struggling without a key piece. Colby Jones being traded ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline has severely weakened the team, however it’s up to them to adjust as player movement is to be expected at this level.

Meanwhile for Iowa, they were led by Nojel Eastern who scored a career-high 34 points in the win. Trevor Keels and Babacar Sane weren’t far behind, with 26 and 22 points respectively.

The Kings will be back at it on the 13th, as they visit the Santa Cruz Warriors for what will undoubtedly be a very important game in regards to the standings.