Category: NBA

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.

Maxime Raynaud #42 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 28, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Exactly one year to the day, Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie coached his first game as the head coach of the Kings on December 28, 2024, taking over for the fired Mike Brown. The game was against the Lakers in Los Angeles, a contest the Kings lost 132-122. Fittingly, the Kings were back in Los Angeles exactly one year later to take on those same Lakers, one year removed from the shift in head coach and the storm that followed.

As you most likely know, the year following the promotion of Doug Christie has been all but sunshine and rainbows. The Kings have fallen to the bottom of the Western Conference without much of a visible path to success. However, the young additions of Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford during this past summer’s draft give the team hope of assembling another core — along with the extension of Keegan Murray.

I asked Doug before the game if the year mark since his first game as head coach meant anything more to him than any other ordinary game.

“Nah, every time I come to LA it’s the hallways, all that stuff. It’s a lot of memories here, but it really ain’t that. So it’s the Lakers, it’s the Kings. It’s a lot of fun.”

Well, I’m not sure how much fun it was given how the game progressed. The Lakers defeated the Kings 125-101 in blowout fashion at Crypto.com Arena.

In the first quarter, the Kings and Lakers traded baskets to open the game. DeMar DeRozan was getting whatever he wanted for the Kings, and the Lakers were facing very little resistance from the Kings’ defense. After a mandatory timeout at the 6:45 mark of the first, the Kings were up 13-12, with DeMar DeRozan accounting for eight of those points. The Lakers finished the quarter stronger than the Kings and managed to build a bit of separation going into the second quarter, outscoring Sacramento 22-11 over the final 5:15. LeBron James led the Lakers in scoring in the quarter, dropping 10 points in his first 8:18 of action.

Down 30-24 heading into the second quarter, the Lakers kept their foot on the gas against the Kings. In particular, Luka Doncic continued to score the ball at an elite clip. Luka added 15 points in the second quarter to bring his first-half total to 24 and lead the Lakers. Los Angeles outscored Sacramento 38-29 in the second quarter to take a commanding 68-53 lead into halftime. The Kings’ defense wasn’t providing enough resistance at the rim, as the Lakers had 34 points in the paint in the first half. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings in first-half scoring, dropping 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

Coming out of halftime, the Lakers went on a 13-2 run that forced Doug Christie to take two timeouts by the 8:31 mark of the quarter. The Kings’ defense was non-existent to start the period, and it wouldn’t get any better the rest of the third. The Kings couldn’t contain Luka and LeBron as they combined for 14 points in the quarter, while Nick Smith Jr. added eight points for the Lakers. Los Angeles outscored Sacramento 31-27 in the third quarter to take a 99-80 lead into the final period and all but squash any hopes the Kings had of a win.

In the final 12 minutes, the Lakers had already put the game away, and it became a matter of going through the motions. Down 19 entering the quarter, the Kings were outscored 26-21 and fell to Los Angeles 125-101 on Sunday night. Sacramento gave its best effort to hang around in the first half, but the third quarter proved too costly to overcome. The Kings were led in scoring by DeMar DeRozan, who finished with 22 points. On the other hand, the Lakers received a 34-point performance from Luka Dončić, followed by a 24-point outing from LeBron James.

After the game, Doug Christie stressed the importance of being a physical team and acknowledged that the Kings failed in that regard.

“We came in and just, we weren’t grabbing, holding, controlling,” Doug said after the game. “The level of physicality wasn’t to the level that we draw a line in the sand and say, this is what it’s going to be.”

On the bright side, Maxime Raynaud appears to be developing right in front of our eyes. The young center out of Stanford is slotting in nicely given his opportunity in the absence of Domantas Sabonis. On Sunday, Raynaud finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 80% from the field for the Kings. It’s a mature approach that has Doug Christie excited about what he has been seeing.

“…All of a sudden he found this little push shot,” Doug said after the game. “He’s aggressive when he’s open and has time. He shoots the three-pointer, which I’m totally OK with, but then I think you’re starting to see him pump fake, put it on the floor. He did it tonight, gets inside and shoots a nice little floater, and then he has playmaking ability.”

The development of Raynaud has been a surprise to some, but likely not the Kings, who selected him with their second-round pick behind Nique Clifford, who went in the first round.

It’s also not a surprise to Maxime, who credits much of his success to his point guards.

“I just think we have really good point guards that find spots really well. Just try to screen and roll to create space… It has been working pretty well, so I’m happy.”

In a season with not many bright spots, Maxime Raynaud’s development is shaping up to be a hopeful addition to the franchise.

Up next: The Kings will stay in Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Tuesday at 8 p.m. PST inside Intuit Dome.