Tag: NBA

Keon Ellis #23 of the Sacramento Kings shoots a three-point shot over Ryan Nembhard #9 of the Dallas Mavericks in the first half at Golden 1 Center on December 27, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Saturday afternoon to take on Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks, who were without the injured Anthony Davis, were coming off a Christmas loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. The Kings, who entered the game with the worst record in the Western Conference, were coming off a loss on Tuesday at the hands of the Detroit Pistons.

On Saturday, the Kings defeated the Dallas Mavericks 113-107 in front of a solid weekend crowd at the Golden 1 Center.

The Kings got off to a quick start in the first quarter as they jumped out to an early 14-9 lead at the 7:11 mark in the game. Keon Ellis had eight of the Kings’ 14 points and started the game red hot, going 3-3 on his shots. The Kings kept up their offensive pace the rest of the first quarter as they outscored the Mavs 31-23. Keon Ellis continued his first-quarter tirade as he dropped 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the floor. The Kings played one of their better quarters of the year and looked to keep up that pace heading into the second quarter.

Doug McDermott kept the Kings going early in the second quarter as he checked in and immediately hit two three pointers for the Kings. The Kings outscored the Mavs 28-21 to take the 59-44 lead going into halftime. Keon Ellis led the Kings in scoring in the first half with 13 points (all coming in the first quarter), as Maxime Raynaud and Russell Westbrook were right behind with 11 and 12 points, respectively. P.J. Washington Jr. led the Mavericks with nine points in the first half. Cooper Flagg was a non-factor in the first half as he scored only two points on 0-4 shooting from the field.

Coming out of halftime, the Mavs went on a 24-12 run to open the half as the Kings’ lead shrunk all the way down to 71-68 at the 6:05 mark, forcing Doug Christie to take a timeout. The Mavericks’ shooting had come around to start the second half, and the Kings had no answer early on to stop them. Cooper Flagg scored 15 of the 24 points in the Mavs’ early run in the second half. The Kings battled back and were able to rebuild the lead to 88-77 to end the third quarter. Keon Ellis caught fire again late and dropped eight points in the third quarter for the Kings.

Down the final stretch of the game, the lead hovered around 10 points for the Kings for the majority of the fourth quarter. However, during the final two minutes of the game, the Mavs were able to cut the lead to four points. Yet, the Kings held on and were able to defeat the Mavs 113-107. It was one of the more complete games from the Kings this season, albeit against a bad and depleted Dallas squad.

The Kings were led in the victory by Keon Ellis and Russell Westbrook, who each scored 21 points in the game. Dallas was led by an impressive second half from Cooper Flagg, who tallied 23 points in the game (21 in the second half).

After the game, Doug Christie praised the Kings’ effort after the Mavericks made their run in the third quarter.

“We went on a 9-0 run in that third quarter to respond to their response. And that’s big, man… teams are going to make a run. It’s just how it goes. But it’s your response to that. And my thing tonight with them was mental toughness, and they definitely showed the mental toughness.”

Aside from the game, Russell Westbrook made more history in what has turned into a certain Hall of Fame career. Westbrook passed Magic Johnson on the all-time assists list with 10,141, which is good enough for seventh all time. Westbrook also surpassed the 2,000-steal threshold with a steal at the 5:09 mark in the third quarter.

Speaking on his accolades, Westbrook was humble about the status he has reached on the court during his career.

“Before I speak and say anything, I’m truly blessed and thankful to the man above for just allowing me and gifting me with the time to go out and play basketball. And as for passing Magic, it’s an honor. Magic is one of the greats.”

Westbrook continued to speak not only to Magic’s greatness on the court, but also his desire to lift others up off of it.

“I mentioned this a little earlier, but yes, Magic did a lot of great things on the court. But growing up in the inner city of Los Angeles, Magic did a lot for the underserved, continues to do a lot — something that I’ve kind of modeled and wanted to make sure the philanthropy side was also done. I’m grateful to be able to pass him just because he’s such a legend in so many different ways.”

The Kings aren’t much of a fun watch on the court this season. Yet, the late addition of Russell Westbrook has certainly given fans a reason to show up on a nightly basis. Kings fans are watching greatness on a nightly basis with him and DeMar DeRozan. That’s special, and somewhat of a silver lining to this disappointing season so far for the Kings.

Up next: The Kings will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers at 6:30 p.m. PST at Crypto.com Arena.

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 drives to the basket during the game against the Detroit Pistons on December 23, 2025 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back in action for their final game before Christmas on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center. The Kings welcomed the best team in the Eastern Conference of the NBA to town as Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons took on the Kings. The Pistons have taken the league by storm the last two seasons and held the best record in the East at 23-6 heading into the contest. The Kings, fresh off their win against the Houston Rockets on Sunday, looked to make it a winning streak on Tuesday as the game tipped off at 7 p.m. PST.

The Pistons defeated the Kings 136-127 in front of a good crowd on Christmas Eve Eve.

In the first quarter, the Kings struggled mightily to contain the Pistons in the paint and in transition. The Pistons scored 24 points in the paint compared to the Kings’ 12 points and had 11 fast-break points in comparison to the Kings’ two. The Kings were dominated on both ends of the floor by a team playing on the second night of a back-to-back. The Pistons outscored the Kings 37-24 to take the early 13-point lead as Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 10 first-quarter points. DeMar DeRozan was cooking early for the Kings with 11 points, but it was proving too little.

In the second quarter, the Kings kept a better pace with the Pistons, but the Pistons continued to build their lead. The Pistons outscored the Kings 38-34 in the second to take the 75-58 lead into halftime. DeMar DeRozan was doing his best to keep the Kings in the game as he scored 23 points in the first half, which led all scorers. In the first half, the Pistons outscored the Kings in the paint 44-24 and on fast-break points 21-4.

During the second quarter, it appeared as if Keegan Murray injured his right calf as he landed awkwardly after a block. He did not come out of the locker room to start the third quarter, and shortly thereafter the Kings ruled him out for the rest of the game with a right calf injury.

In the third quarter, the Pistons continued the offensive onslaught, outscoring the Kings 40-39 in the quarter. Through three quarters, the Pistons had scored 115 points on the Kings and were in firm control with an 18-point, 115-97 lead going into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings showed some fight and battled until the end with the Pistons. In the end, the Pistons defeated the Kings 136-127, but only after the Kings outscored the Pistons 30-21 in the fourth in an attempt to battle back into the game.

Doug Christie was pleased with his team’s effort in the second half on Tuesday, and how some of his interior changes may be leading to some success.

“If you just look at the last three games from the very first Portland game, we went big with Keegan at the three, and I think that those big guys on the interior, they help with confidence… anything that comes off of that backboard is ours. Anything that drives down the lane is going to be contested. And when you as a perimeter player have that behind you, it’s just a confidence that I can be a little bit more aggressive.”

DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with a valiant 37-point effort in the Kings’ loss as Russell Westbrook added 27 points. Tobias Harris led the scoring for the Pistons, dropping 24 in 29 minutes of action.

Up next: The Kings will stay home for the Christmas holiday and then take on the Dallas Mavericks on December 27 at 2 p.m. PST in Sacramento.

Dennis Schroder #17 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the game winning three point basket during the game against the Houston Rockets on December 21, 2025 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California (Mandatory Photo Credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — The Houston Rockets came to Sacramento on Sunday to take on the Kings at 7 p.m. PST inside Golden 1 Center. It was a rare Sunday night start for the Kings, who were on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, 98–93. On Sunday, the Kings battled back to win a gritty overtime thriller, 125–124.

In the first quarter, the Kings and Rockets traded baskets in what was a competitive 12 minutes of basketball. The Kings jumped out early on the Rockets as they started the game firing on the offensive side of the ball — something we don’t normally see from the Kings. However, Alperen Şengün led the Rockets back later in the quarter as Houston outscored the Kings 31–30. Şengün led the Rockets with six points, and Keegan Murray led all scorers in the first quarter with 10 points. The Kings’ shooting woes appeared to continue from Saturday into Sunday, and they looked to snap them in the second quarter.

In the second quarter, it was all Rockets as the Kings tried to stay in the game. The Rockets outscored the Kings 37–27 in the second quarter to build an 11-point lead, 68–57, going into halftime. Şengün continued to pressure the Kings’ interior defense as he was getting whatever he wanted against Maxime Raynaud in the paint. The Kings continued to struggle from deep, shooting 28 percent, but their overall field-goal percentage was respectable at 50 percent in the second quarter.

In the third quarter, the Kings finally made a small dent in the Rockets’ lead. The Kings outscored the Rockets for the first time in the game, 25–23, in the third quarter as the Kings’ defense turned up the intensity. Still, the Kings would need a huge fourth quarter to have a chance against the Rockets as they entered the fourth down 91–82.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings played one of their better quarters in the last few weeks. The Kings outscored the Rockets 30–21 as they continued the defensive pressure, and Keegan Murray went on a heater on the offensive side of the ball. Murray scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, but it was Russell Westbrook who was the hero for the Kings. As time in the fourth quarter was winding down, Westbrook hit a three from the corner opposite the Kings’ bench to tie the game at 113. The Kings would go to overtime as they looked to defeat the Rockets.

In overtime, the Kings outscored the Rockets 13–12 and defeated Houston by the final score of 125–124. Dennis Schröder was the hero for the Kings as he hit a corner three with 2.2 seconds to go in the game to put the Kings up 125–124. The Rockets drew up a play for Kevin Durant to end the game, but he missed the shot from the elbow as time expired.

It was a big win for the Kings, who hadn’t won a game at home since November 24 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Kings were led by Keegan Murray and DeMar DeRozan, who had 26 and 27 points, respectively, in the game.

After the game, Doug Christie was happy with the effort and style the Kings have been playing with in their last three games.

“I really think that our last three games have been very targeted towards what we want and how we want to play… there’s a competitiveness that is a must. It’s an absolute must to even compete in our league. So we have to find that.”

Up next, the Kings will stay home to take on the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday at 7 p.m. PST.

Maxime Raynaud #42 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 20, 2025 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — Coming off a rough few weeks in the month of December, the Kings were back in action on Saturday night against the Portland Trail Blazers in Sacramento at Golden 1 Center. The Kings fell to the Blazers 98-93 on Saturday night.

In the first quarter, the Kings got down 15-2 early as the starters couldn’t get much going. However, the bench came in and got the Kings back into the game to finish the quarter with the Blazers outscoring the Kings 28-26. The Kings went on a 24-13 run to finish the quarter after the starters came out and kept the game from getting out of hand, as Keegan Murray led the Kings with eight first-quarter points.

In the second quarter, neither team made a move to take over the game as they both traded baskets for the most part. The Blazers outscored the Kings 19-18 in the second to take a 47-44 lead into halftime at Golden 1 Center. The Kings’ offense really struggled in the first half as they shot 27% from deep and 46% overall in the half. Keegan Murray and Dennis Schröder led the Kings with 10 points each in first-half scoring for the Kings.

In the third quarter, the Trail Blazers went on a run early in the quarter to take a 12-point lead over the Kings. However, as the quarter came to a close, the Kings were able to battle and get the score back to where it started coming out of halftime. The Kings and Blazers each scored 25 points in the third to go into the fourth with the Kings trailing 72-69. Keegan Murray and Dennis Schröder continued to lead the Kings with 15 and 16 points, respectively, through three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, it was the same story as the Kings hung around but weren’t able to get any momentum to take over the game. The Blazers outscored the Kings 26-24 in the final quarter of the game to defeat the Kings 98-93 in regulation. The Kings struggled all game to score from three-point land as they finished the game shooting an abysmal 19% from deep. Overall, the Kings shot 38% from the field and 67% from the line in what can be described as a bad shooting night. Dennis Schröder led the Kings in scoring with 21 points in the game as Deni Avdija led all scorers with 24 points.

After the game, Doug Christie was happy with the effort the Kings showed. However, they need to become more consistent on both ends of the floor to see the results in the end of games.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Houston Rockets on Sunday night at 7 p.m. PST at Golden 1 Center.