Chicago Bulls forward/guard Isaac Okoro (35) rebounds the basketball against the Sacramento Kings forward/center Drew Eubanks (19) in the first half at the United Center in Chicago on Wed Oct 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (1-4) lost their third game in a row to the Chicago Bulls (4-0) 126-113. This was the largest margin this season for the team.

They have been in every game they have played so far with the exception of tonight’s game and their season record could be far different. Once again Zach LaVine led the Kings in scoring with 30 points.

Game recap: The Bulls led after the opening quarter wound down 36-33. It was a tight hotly contested first quarter of play . The Kings took the lead in the second quarter, their largest lead 12 points.

The Bulls at one time in the half had also taken a 12 point lead. The score was 64-62 with the Kings leading in this high octane contest. In the later minutes of the second quarter the Kings had established double digit leads.

Leading by 12 points with three minutes left in the half the Kings let the Bull erase their lead to pull within two points as the clock expired. The Bulls had gone on a nice run to end the second quarter.

Domantas Sabonis and Zach Lavine had the high scores in the first half. Sabonis with 12 points and LaVine with 16. Malik Monk also had double figure off the bench with 11 points. The Bulls had two two starters in double digits, Matas Buzelis with 17 points and Josh Giddey with 12 points. Kevin Huerter finished the first half with ten points off the bench. The second half would no doubt boast some more high caliber play.

Most importantly for the Sacramento Kings in the second half would be consistent play. They had a great handle on ball protection in the first half with only five turnovers. They were perfect from the line and they had seven steals in the half. With consistent play in the second half they would be in a great place to finish this game and come away with a win.

The third quarter was horrible for the Kings with consistency going out the window and questionable defensive effort They dropped the lead and allowed the Bulls to take a 72-66 lead. In the first couple of minutes they missed four shots falling off offensively to open the third quarter.

They had a pretty good start but had cooled off significantly in this game. With a lot of time left in the second half there was ample time to turn things around for Sacramento. Every time the Kings made a little headway, the Bulls pushed their lead back out.

The Bulls were blowing right through the Sacramento defense throughout the third quarter. As the third quarter came to an end the Bulls continued to lead 101-91. Through three quarters the Bulls had out-rebounded the Kings 33 to 21. The young Bulls had outpaced the Kings in the third quarter and showed no signs of slowing down.

The Bulls continued to extend their lead in the fourth quarter leading by 15 points 111-96 with nine minutes left in the game. So far this season the Kings had not figured out how to play four quarters struggling with inconsistent play.

The Bulls had hit 14 shots from downtown and were dominating offensively shooting 58 % from the field. The Kings had only hit seven three’s and began missing them late in the final quarter trying to make up the 120-108 deficit. It was a losing battle as the Kings could not match Chicago offensively.

The Kings lost their third game in a row after leading at the half. Their season record could look very different. They have been in every game with the exception of Wednesday night’s game. They had the Thunder on the ropes until the final three minutes of play.

They lost to the Suns by four points and played a close game with the Lakers. They have a core of veteran players starting and they are so close to cleaning things up. Wednesdaty night they only had ten turnovers a vast improvement. They have struggled defensively and have just not been consistent.

Once again Zach LaVine led the team in points with 30. DeMar DeRozan finished with 19 points and five rebounds and Domantas Sabonis had a double double with 11 rebounds and 18 points. Malik Monk had 15 points off the bench.

Game notes: After losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night in the final three minutes of play, the Kings traveled to Chicago for a matchup with the Bulls at United Center.

Despite the loss, the Kings played a great first half of basketball, did enough in the third quarter to win and led going into the final three minutes of the game. Sacramento was unable to finish the game falling short at the end.

They had a super solid starting lineup in that game and went with the same lineup in Wednesday night’s game. This is a fully competent bunch consisting of veterans Zach Lavine, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Dennis Schroeder and Russell Westbrook; a group capable of getting the job done. The Kings also have Malik Monk and Keon Ellis off the bench. Both of them can really go off offensively.

This current road trip continues on Saturday as the Kings meet another contender the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 2:00 PM PT.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.