Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) takes a foul as he take a shot in between the Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) and forward Keegan Murray (13) in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Mon Mar 31, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (36-39) had every opportunity to beat the Indiana Pacers (44-31) Monday night but when push came to shove they collapsed in the final minutes of the game losing 111-109.

They made some critical mistakes in the fourth quarter but did lead going into the final two minutes. The Pacers had not led the entire second half until Tyrese Haliburton hit a three to take a one-point lead 100-98 with 1:17 left in the game.

With the Kings fighting for a playoff spot this loss is a killer for Sacramento. DeMar DeRozan had the game high with 31 points and Domantas Sabonis had another double double with 16 rebounds and 25 points. Malik Monk missed numerous shots finishing with only five points in 29 minutes of play.

Game recap: The Kings led Indiana after the first 12 minutes of play in a tight match-up 28-27 and at the half had a 60-54 lead. Sacramento outscored the Pacers in the second quarter 32-27. This had been a hotly contested game and going into the second half it was up for grabs.

The Pacers won the third quarter 27-26 but continued to trail in the game 86-81. They had not led since late in the second quarter as the Kings continued to fight to keep the lead. Going into the fourth quarter, the Kings had a fight on their hands.

Throughout the final quarter neither team was able to hit very many shots. It was a very sloppy fourth quarter for both teams. The Kings had the lead in this game with 1:27 left in the game. The Pacers had missed a slew of three’s in the final minutes of the quarter but at 1:17 Tyrese Haliburton hit the three that got Indiana their first lead of the second half 100-98.

The Kings lost this game with some very ineffective offense. They missed five shots in the final two minutes of play and committed five fouls. What is so disappointing is that the Kings had a 16 point lead at one time in the second half.

They were not at all good at the line shooting 64% while the Pacers were perfect at the free throw line. This game was a nail-biter from start to finish but the Kings could not hit the shots that would have made the difference in this game losing it to the Pacers 111-109.

DeMar DeRozan had the game high scoring 31 points and Domantas Sabonis had a double double with 16 rebounds and 25 points. Zach LaVine also had a good game with 20 points. Malik Monk had a sub-par game only scoring five points in 29 minutes of play but he was very good defensively with seven rebounds along with starter Keegan Murray who also had seven rebounds. In this final countdown none of these players can letdown and there was a real letdown Monday night for Sacramento. The fourth quarter was especially sloppy at times.

Game notes: With seven games left on the season, the Sacramento Kings (36-39) took a tough loss the Indiana Pacers (44-31) in a crunch situation. The Pacers are sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference while the Kings are hanging on for dear life in tenth place in the Western Conference.

The Kings have to win most of these upcoming seven games. They were blindsided by the Orlando Magic Saturday night to the tune of 121-91. They were due for a productive game and couldn’t get the win over Indiana to start this seven game stretch. It is crunch-time for the Sacramento Kings if they want to get back in this.

Wednesday night the Kings will take on the 16-59 Washington Wizards. This is a must-win for Sacramento despite being on the road. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 4:00 PMPDT at he Capital One Center in DC as Sacramento will be looking to put on end to this horrible nine game losing streak on the road.