Tag: NBA

Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 18, 2026 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 on Sunday night in Sacramento at the Golden 1 Center.

Coming into the game having won four games in a row, the Kings’ winning streak was snapped as they fell to the Blazers 117-110.

In the first quarter, the Kings and Blazers traded baskets. Deni Advija and Russell Westbrook led the charge for both teams as they scored 15 and 11 points, respectively, in the first quarter. The size and physicality of the Blazers was clearly bothering the Kings early as they looked to counter with different lineups, including multiple bigs.

In the second quarter, the Kings’ offense struggled against the Blazers as they only managed 21 points in the frame. On the other hand, the Blazers kept up a steady offensive pace as they outscored the Kings with 32 points of their own. The Blazers went into halftime leading the Kings 64-53 and in a prime position for the second half. The Kings were outshot from the field 51%-46% in the first half but maintained a large lead on shots beyond the arc, where they led Portland 46%-28%. The Kings would need a way to match the defensive intensity of Portland in the second half if they wanted to complete a comeback.

In the third quarter, the Kings stopped the bleeding from the first half but were unable to make up any ground on the deficit. The Kings and Blazers both scored 29 points in the third quarter, enabling Portland to take the double-digit 93-82 lead into the final quarter of action. Shaedon Sharpe tormented the Kings in the third quarter as he cooked for Portland. Sharpe compiled 14 points on 5-9 shooting from the floor and two made free throws in his nearly 11 minutes on the floor in the quarter.

Going into the fourth quarter and trailing by 11 points, the Kings needed to play a nearly perfect quarter in order to win the game.

The Kings fought in the fourth quarter but ultimately came up short and fell to the Blazers 117-110.

The Kings outscored the Blazers 28-24 as they attempted their comeback in the closing quarter. Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook led the Kings in scoring in the loss as they both had 23 points in the game on 25 and 33 minutes, respectively, for the pair.

The Kings battled, which had been the issue for much of the season with this group. It appears that while still maybe not the most cohesive team, they have moved past some of their effort struggles early in the season and are playing more to Doug Christie’s standard.

Dylan Cardwell has exceeded any expectations the Kings have had for the young rookie so far this season. However, he has consistently found himself in foul trouble. That’s not abnormal for rookies, but it remains something that young players continue to work on as they develop.

I asked Doug Christie after the game what his thoughts were on helping Dylan limit his foul troubles — it’s not something Doug is concerned about.

“I think more than anything, you have to let him experience it,” Doug said after the game. “He has to find and go past the limit and then let’s reel you in, as opposed to someone who you’re always trying to turn up to get to a limit. I have no problem with Dylan’s fouls. I don’t want him to be in foul trouble… But with the verticality and the physicality, we are going to live with that right now so he can learn where his line is at.”

Domantas Sabonis played just under 20 minutes of action on Sunday night, which seems abnormal for him even if he is recently returning from injury. He was also not in any of the closing lineups for the Kings, another rarity in recent years in Sacramento.

After the game, I asked Doug if Domas was on a minutes restriction.

“No, he’s just coming back. This is just game two… it is a process, that’s all.”

Well, I’m not sure how much I buy that from the Kings’ head coach. After all, minutes aside, he didn’t choose to have Domantas in the closing lineup, which almost certainly signals some sort of disconnect between what Domas provides and the skill set Doug is looking for late in games.

Doug alluded to that himself when later in the press conference he was asked why Dylan Cardwell was closing the game rather than Sabonis.

“I think more than anything it’s his ability to switch 1-5,” Doug said, referring to Dylan closing over Sabonis.

This will be a storyline to watch, as I would be surprised if Sabonis is happy about his position in all of this. Time will tell if this is simply working Sabonis back into the fold and a structure Doug will look to keep in place.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Miami Heat on Tuesday at 7 p.m. PST inside 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. 

Maxime Raynaud #42 of the Sacramento Kings, Dylan Cardwell #32, and Nique Clifford #5 stand on the court after the game against the Washington Wizards at Golden 1 Center on January 16, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — Amid what was seemingly becoming a season where the Kings appeared to be embracing a tank for a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Kings won three straight games coming into Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards. On Friday, the Kings continued their winning ways, defeating the Wizards 128-115.

In the first quarter, the Kings jumped out to an early lead as the offense started the game firing on all cylinders. The Kings outscored the Wizards 41-22 in the first quarter, as the offense came from every corner of the Kings bench.

Domantas Sabonis, who had been injured the past 27 games, made his return to the Kings, checking in at the 5:11 mark of the first quarter. It was Sabonis’ first time coming off the bench since 2021, and he recorded six points and four rebounds in his first minutes back in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings and Wizards flipped from the first-quarter performance, as the Wizards outscored the Kings 39-26 in the quarter. The Kings’ 19-point lead coming into the quarter evaporated as they took a six-point lead into halftime, 67-61. The Kings let the intensity on the defensive end falter, and it led to the Wizards having their way on the offensive end. The Kings had three double-digit scorers in the first half, as DeMar DeRozan had 10 points, Precious Achiuwa had 14, and Russell Westbrook added 11 in the first half.

In the third quarter, the Kings flipped the script back on the Wizards and took back control of the game after struggling before halftime. The Kings outscored the Wizards 34-23 in the third quarter, as Russell Westbrook paced the Kings with nine points in the quarter. The Kings took a 17-point advantage, 101-84, into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings kept the Wizards at arm’s length to finish them off with the final of 128-115. The Wizards outscored the Kings 31-27 in the fourth quarter, but the Kings still defeated the Wizards by double digits. The Kings’ fourth win in a row has certainly surprised Sacramento fans as they look to continue their hot play. Russell Westbrook led the Kings in the victory with 26 points, while Domantas Sabonis had 13 points and six rebounds in his return.

The young guys in Sacramento have caught an infectious energy that has captured the fans’ attention and love at the Golden 1 Center.

After the game, Doug Christie spoke to the energy and the way the young guys have played, and how the city has attached to that.

“They’re every pillar that we talk about when I talk about playing to a standard — multiple efforts on the defensive end, they communicate at a high level, and they have fun,” Doug Christie said after the game. “I’ve told you guys many times this game is about joy, and it swells my heart to watch them compete that way because it is not always going to go great, but it’ll never be from a lack of them getting at it, that’s for sure.”

Up next: The Sacramento Kings will stay home to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at 6 p.m. PST.

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. 

Precious Achiuwa #9 of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center on January 14, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings are experiencing their first upswing of the season.

The Kings have now won three straight games as they defeated the New York Knicks on Wednesday night 112-101 as Mike Brown made his return to Sacramento.

With Wednesday’s win over the Knicks, the Kings improved to 11-30 and have their first three-game win streak of the season.

I asked Doug Christie after the game if this is the type of streak you can build on as a team.

“I mean, our league is funny that way,” Doug said after the game. “We lost a game in Portland and I look at that one as the start of all of this because I thought that our standard began to be met. Then we dropped two in Los Angeles and that wasn’t it, obviously. But from that point, listen, we’ll win some and we’ll lose some. The key is, as we define ourselves, is that we play to a standard.”

Doug has been clear the Kings need to play to the “standard” to build their identity. Precious Achiuwa agreed that playing the right way is something they hope to build off of.

“Momentum in this league is very important and you can capitalize on that,” Precious Achiuwa said after the game to me in the press conference room. “I think right now we have a good flow of things. We’re going to try to continue to build on that. There’s no guarantees in this league… playing the right way, playing hard, and doing the right things.”

As for the game itself, the Kings took care of the Knicks with relative ease on Wednesday.

In the first quarter, the Kings jumped all over the Knicks to start the game. Sacramento, led by an early trio of double-digit scoring performances in the first quarter from DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Precious Achiuwa, outscored the Knicks 32-17 in the first frame. The aforementioned trio had 10 points each in the quarter to propel the Kings. On the other hand, the Knicks were shooting an abysmal 5% from deep on 20 attempts in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings didn’t extend their lead but they managed to keep the Knicks at bay without allowing them to meaningfully get back into the game. The Knicks outscored the Kings by a point, 25-24, in the second quarter as the Kings maintained the lead going into halftime. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 15 first-half points as the Kings led 56-42 going into the break.

In the third quarter, the Kings turned back up the intensity on the Knicks. The Kings outscored the Knicks 40-34 to take a 96-76 lead going into the fourth quarter of action. Precious Achiuwa was the Kings’ leading scorer in the third as he added another 10 points to bring his game total to 20 points in the first three quarters of action.

In the fourth quarter, the Knicks made a couple of runs to attempt to get the game back to within reach, but they all came up short as the Kings defeated the Knicks 112-101. The Knicks were able to outscore the Kings 25-16 in the final quarter, but it was much too little, too late for New York as they never really got back to within a realistic striking distance.

The Kings were led in scoring by DeMar DeRozan, who had 27 points in the game. Precious Achiuwa finished the night with 20 points and 14 rebounds, as Russell Westbrook led the Kings in assists with 11 in the game.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Washington Wizards on Friday at 7 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.