Kris Dunn #8 of the Los Angeles Clippers and Dylan Cardwell #32 of the Sacramento Kings fight for the loose ball during the first half at Golden 1 Center on April 05, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Don Collier/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back in action at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday night. The Kings played a rare nighttime Sunday game that started at 6 p.m. PST as they welcomed the Los Angeles Clippers to town.

The Kings, who are well outside of the NBA’s playoff picture, attempted to play spoiler to the Clippers, who entered the game a half-game back of the eighth play-in spot.

The Clippers definitively defeated the Kings 138-109 on Sunday night.

In the first quarter, the Clippers jumped all over the Kings to open the game. The Clippers put up a massive 42 points in the quarter as Kawhi Leonard led the way with 13 points. The Kings managed 32 points of their own in the quarter, aided by nine points from DeMar DeRozan, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Clippers’ pace and shot-making early in the game.

In the second quarter, the Clippers took their 10-point lead and expanded it to 12 points. The Clippers outscored the Kings 29-27 in the second quarter of action to take a 71-59 lead into halftime. The Clippers were led in first-half scoring by Kawhi Leonard, who had 15 points, and Darius Garland, who was close behind with 13 first-half points. The Kings’ best scoring came from Daeqwon Plowden, who scored 10 first-half points, as DeMar DeRozan and Nique Clifford each added nine of their own.

In the third quarter, the Kings trailed by 12 points and desperately needed a spark to mount a comeback.

The third quarter was unkind to the Kings as the Clippers outscored them 36-20 to blow the game open and expand their lead to 107-79, with a 28-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter. Devin Carter led the Kings’ minimal scoring efforts in the third quarter as he put up seven points for the Kings. The Clippers continued their offensive push with 11 more points from Kawhi Leonard, who finished the third quarter with 26 points to lead the Clippers.

The fourth quarter was more of an afterthought as the Kings were squarely out of the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Clippers outscored the Kings 31-30 to win all four quarters against the Kings and finish the game with a 138-109 victory. The Kings didn’t lead at any point in the game as the Clippers took the lead on the first basket and didn’t look back. Devin Carter, Nique Clifford, and Dylan Cardwell each scored seven points in the final quarter of the game to lead the Kings, while Kobe Sanders scored 14 fourth-quarter points for the Clippers as the game wound down.

The Kings were led in scoring by Devin Carter, who scored 21 points in the game, while Nique Clifford added 18 points in the contest. Big man Maxime Raynaud had an 11-point, 16-rebound performance, while Dylan Cardwell added 15 points.

The Kings will head on the road to take on the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at 7 p.m. PST at Chase Center.