Monte McNair ex GM (right) and owner Vivek Ranadive (left) of the Sacramento Kings (Photo: ESPN on X)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
SACRAMENTO–In a whirlwind of a season for the Kings, it all came down to one game. The Kings and Mavericks played in the Western Conference 9/10 play-in game on Wednesday night inside Golden 1 Center.
The sold-out crowd inside G1C was raucous from the start as the Kings looked for a win and a date with the Memphis Grizzlies in a second play-in game for the eighth seed. The Kings and Mavs largely had similar seasons marred with turmoil and turnover.
The Mavs made what many consider to be the worst trade in NBA history, shipping Luka Doncic out for the Lakers’ Anthony Davis. On the other hand, the Kings traded All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox and head coach Mike Brown during the season. Neither team could afford to lose the game, but one was destined to. The Sacramento Kings’ season ended on Wednesday as they lost to the Mavs 120-106.
In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a solid start. The pace and intensity matched the Mavericks’, and the Kings outscored them 29-27 in the opening quarter. It seemed the Kings came to play; however, the first quarter would be the only quarter in which the game was close.
In the second quarter, the Mavs exploded for 44 points compared to the Kings’ 19. The Kings appeared to lose all will to live in the game. I felt as if I was watching someone slowly die after the body had given up. The Kings went into halftime trailing the Mavs 71-48.
In the third quarter, the Mavs continued to pour it on. Dallas outscored the Kings 33-28 in the third as all hopes of a Kings comeback were snuffed out. The Kings continued to struggle to contain the Mavs, as their size and length proved too much for Sacramento.
In the fourth quarter, the Kings had all but mailed it in. The Kings couldn’t mount any comeback as they were blown off their home court by the final of 120-106. The Kings went out with a whimper in the 2024-2025 campaign. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings in defeat with 30 points in 43 minutes of action.
Immediately following the game, while reporters were in the locker room, I got word from a league source that Kings head coach Monte McNair was fired.
Following the news, players were called into a meeting while some still showered—another cog in the wild turn of events that was the Kings’ season.
The Kings will hold exit interviews later this week, and the media will get one last chance to talk to this current group of players.
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