By Barbara Mason

After finally breaking their 16-game losing streak in Memphis on Monday the Sacramento Kings (13-47)traveled to Houston losing to the Houston Rockets (36-21) in a blow-out. At one time in the game the Kings trailed by 36 points, getting beat 128-97.

Russell Westbrook had the team high of 22 points. The team suffered another injury when Keegan Murray appeared to have re-injured his ankle limping off the court in the first quarter. It is not known if he will take the court Thursday in Dallas but chances are that he will not.

Game recap: Houston smothered the Kings in the opening quarter of this game 33-22 setting the stage for what could turn out to be a dominating first half of basketball. It got even worse for Sacramento in the second quarter still dragging, getting outscored by Houston 44-28 and trailing at the half 77-50. It was a totally uninspiring first half of basketball for the Kings. They could not get any sort of rhythm going in the first half.

The only King who had anything going in the first half was Russell Westbrook. He had double digits at the half taking a lot of shots trying to carry his team: he really hustled in the opening quarter carrying it into the second quarter.

Sacramento just could not get into any sort of rhythm going and to make things more taxing, Keegan Murray left the game with 3:23 left in the first quarter with a left ankle injury. He limped off the court and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

He had recently struggled with a recent left ankle injury and this marked another Sacramento starter out. This was only his fourth game back after a 20-game absence due to the left ankle injury and this appears to be a recurrence of that injury.

The Rockets with a 27-point lead at the half were cruising. Sacramento had a better third quarter but trailing by 27 points to start the second half they needed a whole lot more. The Rockets outscored them in the quarter 31-26 taking a 107-76 lead into the fourth quarter. The largest lead in the game for Houston was 36 points. They took care of business early and never looked back.

The Kings did outscore the Rockets in the final quarter 21-20 falling to Houston 128-97. Sacramento protected the ball well committing only 12 turnovers. They got scorched in the field and only hit seven shots from beyond the arc while the Rockets had 17 in this game. Again Russell Westbrook had the team high with 22 points and 5 rebounds. Maxime Raynaud finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Nique Clifford had a great game off the bench finishing with 15 points.

As expected the trio of Kevin Durant, Alperon Sengun and Reed Sheppard finished off the Kings. Sheppard had the game high with 28 points, Sengun with 26 and Durant with 21. Sengun had a triple-double with 13 rebounds and 11 assists. All three of these guys were on fire controlling the pace from start to finish.

Game notes: Monday evening the Kings broke an unimaginable losing streak, their longest in franchise history at 16 beating the Memphis Grizzlies 123-114. Wednesday night the Kings faced the third place team in the Western Conference, the Rockets.

The Kings were without three of their starters and Dylan Cardwell remains out with an ankle injury with a possible return date of March 19th. Although Keegan Murray had been listed out with an ankle issue he did take the court in this game. The Rockets have Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet on the injured list.

This was a real test for Sacramento taking on one of the best teams in the Western Conference attempting to contain Kevin Durant, Reed Sheppard and Alperen Sengun. Monday night, the Rockets took it to the Utah Jazz 125-105 at home and Wednesday night the Rockets picked up another win.

It will be a quick turnaround for Sacramento traveling up to Dallas for a matchup with the Mavericks Thursday night. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 5:30 PM.

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.