Category: Sacramento Kings

DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings and Jabari Smith Jr. #10 of the Houston Rockets compete for a loose ball in the first half at Golden 1 Center on January 11, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Sunday night as they attempted to snap a seven-game losing streak against the Houston Rockets. After getting off to what was tied for their worst start in the Sacramento era prior to Sunday at 8-30, the Kings managed to defeat the Rockets 111-98.

In the first quarter of action, scoring was at a premium for both teams as they started slowly on the offensive end of the floor. The Kings were outscored by the Rockets 23-22 in the quarter, as Kevin Durant led the way for Houston with seven points in the first. Zach LaVine got the Kings going early, as his shot was falling in the opening frame, where he scored eight of the Kings’ 22 points.

In the second quarter, the Kings battled back and managed to outscore the Rockets 29-25 in the period. DeMar DeRozan was cooking in the second quarter for the Kings, as he scored 11 points in the frame to give Sacramento a 51-48 halftime lead. DeRozan led the Kings in first-half scoring with 13 points, while no other Kings players reached double figures at the break. Meanwhile, the Rockets got double-digit performances from Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Kevin Durant, who all scored in double figures in the first half. The first half was a good battle from the Kings, and it showed something Doug Christie has been looking for during the losing streak: effort.

In the third quarter, the Kings managed to keep the game close and maintain a razor-thin lead over the Rockets. Houston outscored Sacramento 28-27 in the period, but the Kings still went into the final quarter leading 78-76.

In the fourth quarter, it was the Dylan Cardwell show, as he almost single-handedly kept the Kings’ energy up in the early part of the quarter. The Rockets and Kings traded baskets, but it was Cardwell who ignited Sacramento and helped the team pull away. Cardwell amassed seven rebounds and two points in the quarter, helping the Kings outscore the Rockets 33-22 in the final 12 minutes. The Kings defeated the Rockets 111-98, marking their second victory of the season over Houston and snapping their seven-game losing streak.

Amen Thompson led all scorers with 31 points for the Rockets. On the Kings’ side, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine led the way with 22 and 18 points, respectively. As a note, DeRozan also became just the 23rd member of the 26,000-points club with a made basket in the first half.

Malik Monk, who had been receiving a number of DNPs as of late and had fallen out of Doug Christie’s rotation, made a big impact for the Kings on Sunday night. Monk scored 15 points while adding four rebounds and three assists.

After the game, DeRozan spoke about the impact Monk had and the professionalism he has shown.

“It’s just a testament to the player that he is, the talent that he is, just to stay ready.”

Up next, the Kings stay home to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday in the second night of a back-to-back. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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. 

Demar Derozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings complains about a call during their game against the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center on January 06, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks. However, the game itself seemed like the secondary story of the night.

The Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks are two teams with very recent falls from grace. There are a lot of similarities to draw between the two franchises, to go along with some stark differences. In this one the Kings fell from grace on Tuesday night 100-98 in razor close contest.

Both the Kings and Mavericks were playoff teams as recently as 2023 and 2024, respectively. Yet, neither team has any hopes of making the playoffs this season after major roster blowups were enacted by the teams’ front offices.

Last season, the Kings fired the first coach to take them to the playoffs since Rick Adelman in 2006, Mike Brown. Along with the Mike Brown firing came the departure of De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, which marked the end of the “beam team” era for the Kings.

On the other side of the court, the Dallas Mavericks — and since-fired GM Nico Harrison — traded their All-Star and young star Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in what was one of the more puzzling moves in NBA history. Harrison has since been fired, and the Mavericks have moved on to a new group to lead the team.

Two teams with unforced errors now find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference. As of Tuesday, the Kings sit at 14th in the conference with only eight wins on the year. The Mavericks are a 13-win team and sit at 12th in the West. The two franchises share a lot of similarities in their situations near the bottom of the standings. The main difference is that the Mavericks were fortunate enough to land the No. 1 pick in last year’s NBA Draft and selected Cooper Flagg, whom they now look to as their future.

On the other hand, the Kings have no first-round pick as part of their future and have a roster full of misfit veteran players with very little size or defensive ability.

These issues were on full display on Tuesday during the loss to the Mavericks.

The Kings lost to the Dallas Mavericks in fitting fashion, as the game came down to a botched play with less than 30 seconds left that led to isolation basketball for the veteran players on the team. Fittingly, the Kings were unable to convert, falling to the Mavericks 100-98.

The Kings did a good job holding the Mavericks to just 100 points, but the offense, which is ranked near the bottom of the league, failed them in the second half of the game.

Maxime Raynaud, who fouled out, was confident after the game that the Kings’ offense would turn it around given the level of talent on the roster.

“Everything kind of comes up given where we are at right now, but I do believe we have some extremely talented offensive players,” Raynaud said. “I mean, Russ is the highest-scoring point guard of all time. Zach has been a 50-40-90 player all his life. Deebo is probably one of the best closers in the NBA. So in that sense, we probably just have to find more collective solutions and not only rely on them carrying us every single game. We’ve got to give them some help.”

Help may not be what the Kings need. From the viewer’s perspective, the offense simply seems broken and stagnant — a recipe for disaster in the modern NBA.

“Just being more organized, understanding what we could get instead of trying to rely on a one-leg 30-footer to go in,” DeMar DeRozan said of the late offensive woes after the game. “Just got to give ourselves a better chance.”

The Kings have lacked organization and rhythm on the offensive side of the ball all year, and Tuesday was no different. The offensive stagnation has been an issue since the Kings blew up the roster last season before the trade deadline. Unlike the Mavericks, the Kings have no clear path forward to improve the team or their chances at another playoff appearance in the near future.

Up next, the Kings will travel to San Francisco on Friday to take on the Golden State Warriors at 7 p.m. inside Chase Center.