Sacramento Kings Dennis Schroder (17) drives on the Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid (21) in the first half at the Xfinity Mobile Center in Philadelphia on Thu Jan 29, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (12-37 lost their seventh game in a row Thursday night to the Philadelphia Sixers (26-21) 113-111. They had an 11-point lead mid-way through the fourth quarter but allowed the Sixers back in the game. The game could not have been closer as the clock ran out on the Kings.

Game recap: The first two quarters were close with the Sixers outscoring the Kings in each of the first two quarters. After the first 12 minutes of play the Sixers had taken a three-point lead 28-15. The Sixers outscored Sacramento in the second quarter 32-29, another three points with Philadelphia taking a 60-54 at the half.

DeMar DeRozan had a great first half with 21 points and Dennis Schroeder, who started in this game, scored 15 points. Not much else was going on as far as scoring for Sacramento. Zach LaVine did start in the game playing off the bench scoring five points in the opening half. The Kings had remained close in the first half but were unable to get over the top.

The Kings got as close as two points in the third quarter at 6:59, 68-70 and tied up the game seconds later at 70 forcing the Sixers to take a timeout. Domantas Sabonis broke into double digits in the quarter finishing three quarters with 14 points. At 4:16 the Kings took a 77-75 lead. As the third quarter came to an end, the Kings had a 92-88 lead when Keon Ellis hit a 23-foot three pointer.

Going into the fourth quarter Sacramento had built momentum that had been missing in the first three quarters. The task at hand would be to grow that momentum through the quarter. The largest lead the Kings had in this game was six points when again Ellis made a running dunk giving Sacramento a 98-92 lead.

There were more timeouts for the Sixers when the Kings took a 100-92 lead at 8:13. The remainder of the game was a see-saw affair in which Sacramento got the short end of the deal losing 113-111. This was their seventh loss in a row, a major disappoint when they had taken a 11-point lead mid-way through the fourth.

Sacramento come so close but missed a lot of shots in the final minutes coupled with fouls and turnovers. The 17 turnovers in the game did the Kings no favors. They played the Sixers close for much of the game and very nearly pulled off an upset.

The Kings put up some good numbers with Dennis Schroeder finishing with 27 points the high for the Kings. DeRozan scored 25 points and Sabonis had 17. The Sacramento bench high score went to LaVine with 17 points and Ellis with 10 points. The Kings had 46 rebounds in the game to the Sixers 24 about as lopsided as you can get.

The Kings had their hands full trying to contain Tyrese Maxey who finished with the game high of 40 points. Right behind him was Joel Embiid with 37 points. The Sixers did just enough to get past the Kings for the win.

Game notes: Thursday the Kings lost to the Sixers playing the fourth game of their current road trip. Tuesday they suffered their sixth loss in a row losing to the New York Knicks 103-87 their third road loss on this road trip. They continued the loss streak with a discouraging loss Thursday night. Keegan Murray remains out with an ankle injury and an expected return date of Febraury 4th. Malik Monk is out with an ankle injury and Russell Westbrook out with a foot issue with both looking at a January 30th return against the Boston Celtics. Zach LaVine will be back on the court after it had been decided at game time that he would be able to play.

It doesn’t get any easier for Sacramento as they travel to Boston for a matchup with the second place Celtics led by Jalen Brown. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 4:30 PM at TD Garden.

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.