Former Chicago Bull and current Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan drives to the basket against the Bulls forward /center Jalen Smith (left) and guard/forward and former King Kevin Huerter at the United Center in Chicago on Wed Oct 29, 2025 (AP News photo)
Sacramento Kings podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 How did Zach LaVine’s scoring and shot-selection impact Sacramento’s effort in the game?
#2 What difference did DeMar DeRozan make in the mid-range and veteran leadership roles, and was it enough to lift the team late?
#3 How did Domantas Sabonis perform on the glass and in facilitating the offense, and could his influence have been greater in the outcome?
#4 In light of the team’s injury list (for example, Keegan Murray being out with a thumb injury) what effect did his absence have on the Kings’ depth and rotation?
#5 Considering the Kings’ recurring difficulty in closing out games and defending late crunch-time possessions (as indicated in recent previews), how well did they manage the final minutes — and which Kings player(s) stepped up or struggled most in that stretch?
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.
Chicago Bulls forward/guard Isaac Okoro (35) rebounds the basketball against the Sacramento Kings forward/center Drew Eubanks (19) in the first half at the United Center in Chicago on Wed Oct 29, 2025 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
The Sacramento Kings (1-4) lost their third game in a row to the Chicago Bulls (4-0) 126-113. This was the largest margin this season for the team.
They have been in every game they have played so far with the exception of tonight’s game and their season record could be far different. Once again Zach LaVine led the Kings in scoring with 30 points.
Game recap: The Bulls led after the opening quarter wound down 36-33. It was a tight hotly contested first quarter of play . The Kings took the lead in the second quarter, their largest lead 12 points.
The Bulls at one time in the half had also taken a 12 point lead. The score was 64-62 with the Kings leading in this high octane contest. In the later minutes of the second quarter the Kings had established double digit leads.
Leading by 12 points with three minutes left in the half the Kings let the Bull erase their lead to pull within two points as the clock expired. The Bulls had gone on a nice run to end the second quarter.
Domantas Sabonis and Zach Lavine had the high scores in the first half. Sabonis with 12 points and LaVine with 16. Malik Monk also had double figure off the bench with 11 points. The Bulls had two two starters in double digits, Matas Buzelis with 17 points and Josh Giddey with 12 points. Kevin Huerter finished the first half with ten points off the bench. The second half would no doubt boast some more high caliber play.
Most importantly for the Sacramento Kings in the second half would be consistent play. They had a great handle on ball protection in the first half with only five turnovers. They were perfect from the line and they had seven steals in the half. With consistent play in the second half they would be in a great place to finish this game and come away with a win.
The third quarter was horrible for the Kings with consistency going out the window and questionable defensive effort They dropped the lead and allowed the Bulls to take a 72-66 lead. In the first couple of minutes they missed four shots falling off offensively to open the third quarter.
They had a pretty good start but had cooled off significantly in this game. With a lot of time left in the second half there was ample time to turn things around for Sacramento. Every time the Kings made a little headway, the Bulls pushed their lead back out.
The Bulls were blowing right through the Sacramento defense throughout the third quarter. As the third quarter came to an end the Bulls continued to lead 101-91. Through three quarters the Bulls had out-rebounded the Kings 33 to 21. The young Bulls had outpaced the Kings in the third quarter and showed no signs of slowing down.
The Bulls continued to extend their lead in the fourth quarter leading by 15 points 111-96 with nine minutes left in the game. So far this season the Kings had not figured out how to play four quarters struggling with inconsistent play.
The Bulls had hit 14 shots from downtown and were dominating offensively shooting 58 % from the field. The Kings had only hit seven three’s and began missing them late in the final quarter trying to make up the 120-108 deficit. It was a losing battle as the Kings could not match Chicago offensively.
The Kings lost their third game in a row after leading at the half. Their season record could look very different. They have been in every game with the exception of Wednesday night’s game. They had the Thunder on the ropes until the final three minutes of play.
They lost to the Suns by four points and played a close game with the Lakers. They have a core of veteran players starting and they are so close to cleaning things up. Wednesdaty night they only had ten turnovers a vast improvement. They have struggled defensively and have just not been consistent.
Once again Zach LaVine led the team in points with 30. DeMar DeRozan finished with 19 points and five rebounds and Domantas Sabonis had a double double with 11 rebounds and 18 points. Malik Monk had 15 points off the bench.
Game notes: After losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night in the final three minutes of play, the Kings traveled to Chicago for a matchup with the Bulls at United Center.
Despite the loss, the Kings played a great first half of basketball, did enough in the third quarter to win and led going into the final three minutes of the game. Sacramento was unable to finish the game falling short at the end.
They had a super solid starting lineup in that game and went with the same lineup in Wednesday night’s game. This is a fully competent bunch consisting of veterans Zach Lavine, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Dennis Schroeder and Russell Westbrook; a group capable of getting the job done. The Kings also have Malik Monk and Keon Ellis off the bench. Both of them can really go off offensively.
This current road trip continues on Saturday as the Kings meet another contender the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 2:00 PM PT.
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.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) runs up the floor as the Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (left) prepares to inbound the ball in the first half at Pay Com Arena in Oklahoma City on Tue Oct 28, 2025 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
The Sacramento Kings (1-3) led through three plus quarters but a late fourth quarter burst by the Oklahoma City Thunder (5-0) resulted in their fifth straight win of the season 107-101 Tuesday night.
The Kings had every opportunity to win this game but came up short in the final three minutes of the game. Sacramento missed too many shots down the stretch and the 17 turnovers did them no favors. Zach LaVine had the team high for the Kings with 23 points.
Game recap: The opening quarter could not have gone better for the Kings. They were able to match the Thunder shot for shot, in fact as the quarter ended, the Kings were shooting 57% and led 29-24.
It was the perfect start for Sacramento. The challenge would be to be able to keep the pace they started out with and of course contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company. It is a huge ask; this is a formidable team that excel offensively and defensively. They may fall short in any one quarter but they can also turn a game around on a dime
The Kings continued to hold the lead in the second quarter and with four minutes left in the half had a 51-44 lead. As halftime drew close the Kings closed out the first half leading 62-58. The Kings had three players in double figures with Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine each shooting for 11 points.
Keon Ellis had nine points off the bench so far in the game. Both teams were shooting at 100% from the line a vast improvement for the Kings over their last game. Each team had seven steals and the largest lead of the game was a ten point lead for Sacramento. The Thunder had briefly taken a four-point lead in the half which was quickly erased by the Kings.
The second half battle got underway as the Kings fought to retain the lead. A hasty time-out was called by the Kings when the Thunder pulled to within one point 70-69. Missed shots and turnovers were taking their toll on Sacramento as the Thunder threatened to take the lead.
The Kings had taken their foot off the pedal and let Oklahoma City back in the game. The Thunder did take the lead briefly but Sacramento answered taking a 79-71 lead with under five minutes left in the third.
The Thunder had played from behind for most of the night. After building a ten-point lead the Kings starting missing a lot of shots allowing the Thunder to creep back in the game. They had gone on a 9-2 run and they had stuffed the Kings offense only allowing them to shoot at 38%. The Kings had taken a nosedive from their offense in the opening quarter. Going into the fourth quarter the Kings were clinging onto a 83-80 lead.
Sacramento had to reel their offensive effort in if they had any chance against the Thunder. They were no longer matching the Thunder shot for shot and despite hanging onto the lead, the Thunder continued to hang around pulling to within one point 89-88.
The Sacramento offense had stalled resulting in too many misses and focus waned down the stretch with under seven minutes left in the game. With just over three minutes left on the clock, the Kings had a one-point lead 97-96 and Sacramento took another time-out.
Their promising start was in jeopardy. The Kings continued to miss shots while the Thunder were cashing in taking a 101-97 lead with 1:23 left in the game. The final was 107-101 as the Thunder rallied in the fourth quarter for the win. The Sacramento Kings were unable to finish the game something they have been struggling with this season.
The Kings came up on the short end in this game. They had every opportunity to hand the Thunder their first loss of the season but they failed offensively in the final three minutes of the game letting the Thunder back in.
You give the Thunder an inch and they will hurt you every time and this game was no exception. The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the high for the game with 31 points. The high for the Kings was Zach LaVine with 23 points.
DeMar DeRozan finished with 19 points, Russell Westbrook with 18 and center Domantas Sabonis had a double double 18 rebounds and 10 points. The missed shots down the stretch was the turning point in this game. The Kings played hard and did have a great game despite the loss. The Thunder just handled the clutch situation in the final minutes a whole lot better than the Kings did.
Game notes: The Kings have had a bit of a rocky start to the season hampered by injury and illness. They started out their road trip taking on the some of the best teams in the NBA in a very challenging string of four games that began with a loss in Oklahoma City after taking on the unbeaten world champion Thunder (5-0).
The Sacramento starting lineup featured Russell Westbrook who came off the bench to play alongside Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Dennis Schroeder and Zach LaVine. The Thunder have a slew of players on the injured list and the Kings are still without Keegan Murray and also Nique Clifford.
The Kings were looking to hand the Thunder their first loss in the young season but the Thunder stayed ahead of the Kings for the win. This road trip will challenge the Kings to their core and they will need to stay focused and disciplined as they fight their way through these early season obstacles.
They will have their work cut out for them but the Kings have a bunch of seasoned veterans that make up their starting roster. The Thunder were able to stay ahead of Sacramento,
Next up for the Kings will be the Chicago Bulls as they jet up north for their next game. If they can take the same level of play that they played with Tuesday night into this game they have a great opportunity to succeed. The Bulls are also undefeated right now. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 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.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) gets hit with a foul while driving to the hoop against the Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) in first half action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Sun Oct 26, 2025 (AP News photo)
Sacramento Kings podcast Barbara Mason:
#1 How did the Kings Domantas Sabonis impact the game in terms of rebounding and inside scoring, and did the Kings get enough production from him down the stretch?
#2 With the Kings Zach LaVine listed as questionable due to illness, did he play and how did his level of play affect the Kings’ offensive rhythm?
#3 How effective was the Kings Russell Westbrook in his role — did he provide the veteran leadership and playmaking the Kings hoped for?
#4 Did the Kings get a meaningful contribution from DeMar DeRozan, and how did his performance compare to expectations in this game?
#5 Given the Kings allowed 127 points, what defensive breakdowns or weak matchups stood out, and which Kings player(s) were primarily responsible for trying (but perhaps failing) to stop the Lakers’ attack?
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.
Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after the Lakers made a basket against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on October 26, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Jeremiah Salmonson
DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — As the NBA reels from the worst gambling scandal since 2007, the Los Angeles Lakers came into Golden 1 Center and shot 46 free throws in a game where the Kings attempted only 18. That was the story of the night as the Kings lost to the Lakers 127-120 on Sunday night in Sacramento.
In the first quarter, the Lakers, without LeBron James or Luka Dončić, outscored the Kings 36-27 to take an early lead. The Kings’ defense wasn’t doing a sufficient job keeping the Lakers out of the paint, as 18 of their 36 points came there. The Kings’ bench was a nonfactor offensively in the first quarter, failing to score a single point. Zach LaVine, as he did in Friday’s win over the Jazz, got off to a red-hot start, scoring 11 points in the opening period. The Kings shot 47% from the field compared to the Lakers’ 63%.
In the second quarter, led by Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, the Kings got back into the game before halftime. Westbrook and DeRozan combined for 22 points in the quarter to tie the game 62-62 heading into the break. The Kings’ defense picked up in the second quarter, holding the Lakers to 26 points while scoring 35 of their own. Sacramento shot 47% in the first half compared to Los Angeles’ 52%—a significant decline from the Lakers’ first-quarter percentage, which showed the Kings were beginning to settle in defensively.
In the third quarter, Austin Reaves torched the Kings and led the Lakers to outscore Sacramento 33-28, giving Los Angeles a 95-90 advantage entering the fourth. It was at this point in the game that the free throw discrepancy—39 to 11 in favor of the Lakers, became particularly glaring. While not all of the fouls seemed legitimate, as evidenced by Doug Christie’s two successful challenges, the Kings weren’t playing disciplined defense and were reaching. Still, that much of a difference didn’t sit well with the Kings.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers continued to attack the Kings on the offensive end and control the paint. Sacramento trailed 117-109 with 3:40 to play as Austin Reaves stayed red hot in the second half. From that point on, the Kings outscored the Lakers 11-10 in the closing minutes, but it wasn’t nearly enough as they fell 127-120 at Golden 1 Center.
Austin Reaves finished with an incredible 51 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists in a career night without Luka and LeBron in the lineup. On the Kings’ side, Zach LaVine scored 32 points and has now posted 30 or more in every game this season. He joins Jack Twyman (1959-60), Oscar Robertson (1961-62, 1965-66), and Tiny Archibald (1972-73) as the only Kings to score 30 points in the first three games of a season.
Speaking on LaVine’s start to the season, Doug Christie was highly complimentary of his defensive effort.
“Zach is playing at a really, really high level. I mean, I’m not even really concerned with the points. He’s competing on the defensive end, which is mad love. The defensive commitment that he continues to show is to be commended.”
As it related to the game overall, Christie was visibly distraught afterward when discussing the officiating.
“Forty-six, you said?” Christie responded after James Ham pointed out the free throw discrepancy. “I mean, we got to play defense without fouling, obviously, but there are two teams on the floor, so it’s wild. It’s wild. It’s wild.”
DeMar DeRozan echoed a similar sentiment, appearing in disbelief as he confirmed that Austin Reaves shot 22 free throws.
“Forty-six free throws was crazy to our 18, I don’t know,” DeRozan said after the game. “I got to go back and look, but like I said, 46 free throws is crazy. It’s crazy.”
Crazy or not, the Kings have yet to show a consistent ability to play high-level defense. Defense and fight remain the mantra Doug Christie has tried to instill in this group, but it hasn’t taken root yet, and the frustration is starting to show within the locker room.
Up Next
The Kings will head out on the road for a four-game trip. Their first stop will be in Oklahoma City on Tuesday as they take on the Thunder at 5 p.m. PST. The Kings will return home to host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, November 5.
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.
LeBron James (left) seated next to Bronny James (center) and forward Rui Hachimura (right) as the Los Angeles Lakers battle the Golden State Warriors on Tue Oct 21, 2025 at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles (AP News photo)
Sacramento Kings podcast Tony Harvey:
#1 The Los Angeles Lakers are coming to Golden One Center in Sacramento on Sunday night. LeBron James will be scratched out of the line up as he is reportedly suffering from a sciatic nerve on his right side and will be out of commission for three to four weeks.
#2 There has been talk that the LeBron had been allegedly named in connection with the NBA gambling scandal as his injury reports were being sold that gave gamblers an inside track to betting Lakers games.
#3 In the indictment, a key individual is Damon Jones (former NBA player, former unofficial Lakers helper) who is accused of passing along non-public information about player injuries/availability to bettors.
#4 Back to the Sacramento Kings they’re coming off a 105-104 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Zach LaVine led with 31 points. LaVine should be key for the Kings in scoring for this season.
#5 Kings host the Lakers Sunday, LeBron is out of the lineup does that give the Kings a leg up also with the home floor advantage?
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.
Dennis Schröder #17, Zach Lavine #8 and Russell Westbrook #18 of the Sacramento Kings react after they beat the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center on October 24, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings opened their 2025-2026 home schedule on Friday night in a game against the Utah Jazz. The Kings, who lost their opening game of the season on Wednesday in Phoenix 120-116, bounced back in front of their home crowd defeating the Jazz 105-104.
In the first quarter, the difference really came down to shooting. The Kings outscored the Jazz 31-24 and shot 55% from the floor compared to just 39% for Utah. Zach LaVine led the charge on offense, scoring 15 points in the quarter to give Sacramento the early advantage.
“I always feel comfortable scoring,” LaVine said after the game. “That’s never been a problem. I felt really good last year. That was one of my best years last year. Just keep it rolling, keep focusing on my work…”
In the second quarter, the Kings again benefited from the lackluster shooting of the Jazz, who connected on just 39% of their shots. However, Sacramento failed to pull away as they shot only 32% from the field themselves. The Jazz outscored the Kings 22-18, and the Kings led 49-46 heading into halftime. Dennis Schröder and LaVine led the Kings in the first half with 11 and 15 points, respectively.
In the third quarter, the Kings again couldn’t extend their lead on the Jazz as both teams found their offensive rhythm. Sacramento was outscored 30-29 in the period as Utah pulled a bit closer, trailing 78-76 heading into the final quarter. LaVine added nine more points in the third to bring his total to 24 through three quarters.
In the fourth, the Kings held on despite being outscored 28-27, managing to retain their one-point advantage and beat the Jazz 105-104 thanks to a big game-ending defensive stop by Schröder.
Head coach Doug Christie was impressed with the last play of the game by Schröder and how it represented the kind of effort that will lead to success for the team.
“…If you guys watch, this team scored 130 points versus a really good defensive Clippers team,” Christie said after the game. “For us to come in and hold them to three 20-point quarters and only one 30-point quarter just signifies that it is possible—you can do it now. The consistency with which you approach that is going to be the most important piece to the puzzle.”
The Kings lost a number of traditionally important battles on Friday night. They were outscored in the paint (48-36), had fewer points off turnovers (21-15), fewer fast-break points (15-6), and fewer second-chance points (12-9). Still, the Kings managed to pull off the win. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win—and that’s something Christie expects his team to do: win ugly games.
“I think one of the signs of a good team, and a team that is starting to come together, is that you win ugly as well. It’s not always going to be pretty. You win ugly. This one tonight, though, this was a team win.”
A team win it was, indeed. LaVine led the Kings with 31 points on 55% shooting in the victory, while Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double in his first game of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Malik Monk added 20 points, and Schröder contributed 17 points and five rebounds.
It was a big win for the Kings’ new group as they continue to implement new systems early in the season.
Russell Westbrook spoke after the game about the whirlwind of getting acclimated to a new team and atmosphere while working through the growing pains with a new group.
“You know what, it’s funny—I was just talking, telling my wife that, I mean, just last, what was it? What’s today, Friday? Saturday [last week], I was at home chilling, hanging out. I hadn’t played five-on-five in, I don’t know, since last year. So it’s my second five-on-five game. I’ll be fine. I’m in shape. The rhythm and all that stuff will come, but I’m not really worried about it at all, to be honest.”
It wasn’t pretty, but it marked the Kings’ first home-opening win since the Golden 1 Center opened in 2016.
Up Next
The Kings will stay home to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at 6 p.m. PST at Golden 1 Center.
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.
Sacramento Kings guard Zach Lavine (8) throws one down against the Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (left) in the first half at Footprint Center in Phoenix on Fri Oct 24, 2025 (AP News photo)
Sacramento Kings podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 What was the largest lead the Kings held during the first half of the game, and how did the Suns respond in the second half?
#2 Which Kings player led the team in points, and what was his shooting performance?
#3 How many points did veteran guard Russell Westbrook score for the Kings in his debut with the team in this game?
#4 Which key Kings starters were unavailable for this game due to injury, and how might their absence how was their absence impacted this game.
#5 Kings host the Utah Jazz talk about how you see this match at Golden One Center tonight
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.
Keon Ellis #23 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the game against the Phoenix Suns on October 22, 2025 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
DOWNTOWN PHOENIX — The Sacramento Kings shocked the city of Sacramento on Wednesday night in the Valley of the Sun as they led 71-54 at halftime. However, it was short-lived, as a disastrous third quarter proved costly, and the Kings fell to the Phoenix Suns 120-116.
The Kings showed growing pains early in the game as they committed five turnovers in the first five minutes. Yet, they still managed to take a 29-19 lead in the first quarter of action. The Kings played with high energy, and the Suns weren’t shooting the ball well as Sacramento built a double-digit lead.
In the second quarter, the Kings continued to put pressure on the Suns as they extended their lead to 71-54. The Kings outscored the Suns 42-35 in the second quarter as they shot the lights out and got contributions up and down the lineup. Zach LaVine led Sacramento in the first half with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk added 14 and 13 points, respectively. The Kings held the Suns to just 39% shooting in the first half, which was the primary contributor to their early success.
It was the third quarter—similar to years past—that proved costly for the Kings. Sacramento was outscored 36-21 in the period and let its nearly 20-point lead slip away. The Kings’ most glaring disadvantage in the third was the 24-8 discrepancy on points in the paint. By the end of the quarter, their lead had all but vanished, as they were up just 92-90 heading into the final frame.
In the fourth, the Kings battled but ultimately couldn’t overcome their poor rebounding as the Suns hammered the glass. Sacramento was outrebounded 51-37 as they struggled with some lineups to match Phoenix’s size. Dylan Cardwell, Drew Eubanks, and Maxime Raynaud combined for only nine total rebounds in the game. The Suns outscored the Kings 30-24 in the fourth quarter to seize the 120-116 victory at Mortgage Matchup Center. LaVine led the Kings with 30 points, while DeRozan finished with 29 points and nine assists. The Kings shot 50% (47-for-94) from the field but turned the ball over 13 times, leading to 19 Phoenix points.
“We’ve got to find a way to box out, make sure that we’re rebounding the basketball—just the fundamental, simple things that we talk about,” Kings head coach Doug Christie said after the game. “Scoring the basketball, we can obviously do that, but defense is where everything is going to happen.”
Malik Monk shared similar sentiments after the game.
“The second half, we just did what we did last year, started off sloppy in the third quarter and let them back in it and had to fight back,” Monk said. “So yeah, it’s easy fixes though. It’s all on us.”
The offense for the Kings seemed to stagnate in the second half, something that has been common in recent years. Monk attributed that to the Suns having their way with the tempo on the court.
“They just sped us up a little bit more in the second half, and we can’t fall into that,” Monk said. “When they sped us up, I think we started settling a little too much instead of moving the ball like we did in the first half.”
Aside from the issues on the offensive side, Christie made some interesting decisions on who played heavier minutes at the end of the game. Keon Ellis only played three minutes in the fourth quarter, and Dylan Cardwell logged significant minutes while the Kings were struggling to stay in it.
On Ellis, I asked Doug how he felt Keon played and about the situation he found himself in.
“Keon is the ultimate professional, and he is always ready to play,” Doug said after the game. “In these situations, we have a logjam, so it’s going to come down to who’s playing. But with his aggressiveness, his ability to knock down shots, and his defensive ability, he’s going to be on the floor.”
I’m not sure the fan base will be happy with that answer when Russell Westbrook and Dylan Cardwell both had more minutes than Ellis. However, it will have to do for now.
On the Cardwell front, Doug was hoping to get rebounding from the rookie, but in his NBA debut, Cardwell secured just one board.
“One of his things is that he can go get rebounds,” Doug said to me after the game. “He didn’t do it tonight as he normally does, but he was in there fighting, and his physicality and things like that are what we absolutely love.”
Doug Christie has a nearly impossible job. He has to make this roster of rookies, established vets, and future Hall of Famers all work together while undersized and injured. I don’t envy his position, and it behooves the fan base to give him a few weeks to figure it out until Domas comes back. However, the lack of Keon Ellis minutes is a tale as old as the Mike Brown era. I’m not sure what to make of that at this point.
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.
Phoenix Suns Devin Booker was hit in the face but scored 31 points to help lead the Suns to a opening night win over the Sacramento Kings at Footprint Center in Phoenix on Wed Oct 22, 2025 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
After an amazing first half for the Sacramento Kings in their first game of the season, they just could not sustain that effort falling apart in the second half losing to the Phoenix Suns 120-116. Despite the loss the Kings showed a mountain of promise in this game.
Zach LaVine had the high for the Kings with 30 points. DeMar DeRozan was right behind him with 29 points. Malik Monk had 19 off the bench. Shooting 57% from the line was the difference in this game.
The 2025-26 NBA season got underway for the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night. They traveled to Phoenix for a date with the Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Kings will get a look at their newest acquisition Russell Westbrook and his amazing quickness and speed which defies his age and welcome Monk and DeRozan back on the court. Domantas Sabonis is projected to return to play on October 26th.
The strong start in this game that the Kings were looking for came to be when the Kings came from behind in the first quarter going on a 7-0 run to take a 25-18 lead with 1:20 left in the opening quarter.
The quarter came to an end with the Kings leading 29-19 and Sacramento had some great momentum on their side.DeRozan and Zach LaVine were doing much of the heaving lifting in the opening quarter and Monk already had seven points off the bench.
The Kings took the energy they had in the first quarter into the second quarter with shots from DeRozan and a three from Keon Ellis pushing the Kings lead to 37-21 a couple of minutes into the quarter.
The perfect start was amazing but there was still a lot of game still left in this season opener. So far in the game the Kings were shooting at over 58% to the Suns 32%. The Suns were 0 for 9 so far in the game from beyond the arc.
Sacramento already had seven turnovers in the game one of the areas they continue to struggle in. As the quarter wore on the Suns threatened, erasing the Kings 18 point lead pulling to within eleven points 51-40.
The Kings refused to cave pushing their lead back out to 59-40. As the first half came to an end, the Kings had a 71-54 lead outscoring the Sun 42-35 in the second quarter.
Sacramento’s Zach LaVine was on fire in the first half finishing with 22 points in an explosive display. DeRozan had 14 points and Monk had 13 off the bench. The Sun’s Devin Booker had 14 points and Dillon Brooks with 11 points.
Sacramento had to keep the pressure on in the second half knowing that the Sun’s would come out in the second half with a new purpose. Phoenix would be looking to turn their long game on only hitting three in the first half, and not a single three in the first quarter.
The Sun’s made a move in the third quarter cutting the Kings lead to 12 points 82-70 with 6:51 left in the quarter. The Kings could not afford to take their foot off the gas and let the Sun into this game. With five minutes left on the clock in the quarter, the Suns had pulled to within seven points 84-77 prompting a Sacramento time-out.
With the Suns coming back, the crowd got crazy loud and the Kings were finding themselves in some real trouble. The Suns were taking this game to the next level making some adjustments over their first half play.
Phoenix was outplaying the Kings in the quarter crushing them 36-21. The 20 point lead that the Kings had taken had dwindled to two points 92-90 going into the fourth quarter. It was a new ball game and it was the Phoenix Suns with all the momentum.
At 10:27 in the fourth quarter the Suns took the lead 96-94 and they never looked back. The Kings offense was coming apart at the seams as the Suns continued to push their lead 101-94. Phoenix was ice cold in the first half but they turned it completely around in the second.
The Kings were struggling to make baskets in the second half in a total collapse. With three minutes left in this game it was a one possession game with the Sun leading 108-106. WIth 1:03 left on the clock this game was tied at 110. The final was 120-116.
The promising start in this game for the Kings ended in a brutal loss due to a real let-down in the second half. They let the Suns back in the game and along with it the fans who had Footprint Center rocking.
The Kings had proven their capability in this game but they needed consistency to go along with it. It was a disappointing loss but at the same time the Kings showed a lot of promise and with the return of Sabonis on the horizon this team will be ok going forward.
The Kings only shot 57 % from the line and that was the difference in this game along with the rebounding. This was a huge disappointment for Sacramento unable to sustain their first half effort.
Friday night the Kings will take on the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 7:00 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.
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