Nique Clifford #5 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball during the game against the LA Clippers on December 30, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

INGLEWOOD — The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. It was the Kings’ second of a two-game trip to Los Angeles, as they played the Lakers on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, where they fell 125-101. On Tuesday, the Kings got Keegan Murray and Drew Eubanks back from injury, which was a needed lift for a club that has had a rough go of the injury situation this season. However, it wasn’t enough, as they fell to the Clippers in another Los Angeles blowout, 131-90.

The Kings started the game off poorly. The Clippers were getting whatever they wanted, and the Kings’ shots weren’t falling as the offense stagnated. Sacramento was outscored 34-20 in the first quarter, as nothing was going right for them. On the other hand, Kawhi Leonard picked up right where he left off after his career-high 55-point performance in his last game against the Detroit Pistons. Leonard scored eight points in the first quarter, while James Harden paced the team with 12 first-quarter points.

The second quarter was even worse for the Kings.

The Clippers outscored the Kings 39-20 in the second quarter to go up by 33 points. The score going into halftime was 73-40, as the Clippers were well on their way to routing the Kings. Kawhi Leonard finished the first half with 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, while James Harden was right behind him with 16 points of his own. Russell Westbrook and Keegan Murray led the Kings in first-half scoring, as they each managed seven points.

In the third quarter, the Kings and Clippers traded baskets, which was not what the Kings needed at that point in the game, trailing by over 30 going into the quarter. The Kings outscored the Clippers 31-27 in the third to chip away ever so slightly at the Clippers’ massive lead. Going into the fourth quarter, the Kings trailed by 29 points, and Kawhi Leonard had a 30-point game going for Los Angeles.

In the fourth quarter, the game was all but decided, and the 12 minutes of action were merely a formality. Nothing noteworthy happened in the final quarter, as the Kings were outscored 31-19 to finish the game and lost by the final score of 131-90.

Nique Clifford was the leading scorer for the Kings, as he ended the night with 18 points. Maxime Raynaud had a solid offensive game and finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

“First and foremost, there’s a standard that we are going to play to, and that is just what it is, period,” Doug Christie said after the game. “So the fact that you come out and don’t is unacceptable. So we search for lineups, try to find lineups tonight that have energy.”

Well, Doug hasn’t been able to find any lineups with that sort of energy here in Los Angeles.

On the bright side, Max Raynaud and Nique Clifford continue to develop in a positive direction for the Kings. Raynaud had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Clifford had a career-high 18 points in the loss.

“Those kids are trying,” Doug said of Max and Nique after the game. “They’re figuring it out, and that’s everything that we can ask for from them, and they continue to improve.”

Up next: The Kings will return home to take on the Boston Celtics on Thursday at 7 p.m. inside Golden 1 Center.