Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) takes a shot over the Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (left) in first half action at the Toyota Center in Houston on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Saturday night the Sacramento Kings (31-28) beat the Houston Rockets (37-23) 113-103. The Kings suffered a devastating loss when Domantas Sabonis injured his hamstring in the opening minute of the game.

It is still not known how severe his injury is. The rest of the team had to step up in his absence and they were spotless. Bench giant Jonas Valanciunas was magnificent finishing the game with a double double, 14 rebounds and 15 points. The Kings bench was also on task scoring 42 points collectively. The high score for the Kings was DeMar DeRozan in an impressive win for Sacramento.

Game recap: Sacramento had a 25-21 lead after the first twelve minutes of play but suffered a devastating injury in the first minute of the quarter. Domantas Sabonis was forced to leave the game due to a hamstring injury .

This was a huge blow for the Kings. Sacramento had taken a 21-5 lead mid-way through the quarter despite the loss of Sabonis. Houston came roaring back and trailed by four points going into the second quarter.

The loss of Sabonis would really come into play in the second quarter. Houston took the lead in the quarter but the Kings remained within striking distance. Sacramento had a 16 point lead in the opening quarter and the largest lead for the Rockets in the second quarter was three points. The Kings took back the lead with one minute left in the half 58-56. At the half Sacramento was hanging onto a 63-59 advantage.

The Rockets Dillon Brooks had everything with the Houston comeback scoring 9 of his 12 points in the second quarter. Alperon Sengun also had a productive first half with 17 points.

The Kings bench had scored 26 points in the first half of the game with Valanciunas leading the pack with 11 points. The starters were forced to play without Sabonis but were putting up a solid fight.

Zach LaVine finished the first half with 13 points with Keegan Murray chipping in 11 points. Malik Monk and DeRozan would both be looking for a more productive second half. The Kings had proven that they could not only keep up with the Rockets but also had the ability to win their third game in the row and come away with a in in this battle.

Sacramento got on task early in the third quarter taking as much as an eight point lead with both Monk and DeRozn starting the quarter strong. Five minutes into the quarter DeRozan got into it with Dillon Brooks no surprise to anyone.

The feisty Brooks excels in stirring the pot but it did not deter the Kings who had led for most of the quarter with five minutes left. At 5:14 Sacramento had a 80-74 lead. After leading for most of the quarter the Rockets threatened to take the lead only trailing by a basket 82-79 with under three minutes left to play. The Kings were excelling defensively in the absence of Sabonis leading after three 89-82.

Sacramento got off to a red- hot start in the fourth quarter taking a 96-85 lead needing to keep the pressure on Houston. The Rockets had not able to get out and transition a whole lot. The Kings had put the stops on Brooks who had not scored at all in the second half. With 6:36 left in the game, the Rockets were fighting to get back in the game trailing 103-94.

Both Keon Ellis and Valanciunas were working with four fouls apiece. With under five minutes left in the game the Kings would need both of these guys. Houston was still very much in this game with 3:23 left on the clock but they had to get something going trailing 109-97.

Sacramento refused to let the Rockets back in the game continuing to extend their lead and with under 2 1/2 left on the clock led 111-98. With under a minute left in the game the Kings had won their third game in a row beating the Rockets 113-103.

Despite the loss of Sabonis in the opening minute of the game, the Kings handled their business with some stellar play. DeRozan had the team high with 21 points followed by LaVine who had 20 points.

Monk and Murray both finishing with double figures. Valanciunas was red hot off the bench playing for 30 minutes and finishing with a double double; 14 rebounds and 15 points. The Kings bench was solid scoring 42 points collectively. The Kings showed a lot of grit in this game and will need it as they continue on this road trip.

Game notes: Saturday the Kings took on the Rockets in a Western Conference battle. The Kings continued their current road trip when they extended their two-game winning streak after beating the Hornets in a blow-out 130-88 Monday followed by a win against the Utah Jazz 118-101 Wednesday.

The Rockets came into this game also on a two-game winning streak beating the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night 118-106 and the Milwaukee Bucks in a close game Tuesday night 100-97. Sacramento came into this game with no injured players.

Monday the Kings will travel to Dallas for a matchup with Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and the Mavericks looking for their fourth win in a row. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 5:30 PM.