Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) defends against Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.Ashley Landis/AP
Sacramento Kings podcast Jeremiah Salmonson Sat Dec 6, 2025
#1 Can the Sacramento Kings (5-17) Russell Westbrook push the tempo against Miami Heat (14-9) half-court defense, or will the Heat’s pressure disrupt the Kings’ transition game Saturday night in Miami?
#2 With Domantas Sabonis has been out with an injury Maxime Raynaud is getting minutes and will be facing Bam Adebayo, which big man will control the interior and dictate the flow of the offense?
#3 Will Keegan Murray’s improved shot creation give Sacramento an edge on the wing against Miami’s physical perimeter defenders?
#4 How will Malik Monk’s scoring bursts match up against the Heat’s bench unit, which often swings momentum at home?
# 5 Can Maxime Raynaud and Monk provide the stability Sacramento needs on the road, especially in late-game situations against a disciplined Miami squad? Raynaud and Monk led Sacramento in scoring last Wednesday against the Houston Rockets with 25 points.
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.
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) shoots against Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.Ashley Landis/AP
Sacramento Kings podcast Tony Harvey Sat Dec 6, 2025:
#1 Can the Sacramento Kings (5-17) Russell Westbrook push the tempo against the Miami Heat’s (14-9) half-court defense, or will the Heat’s pressure disrupt the Kings’ transition game?
#2 With Domantas Sabonis out with an injury Maxime Raynaud facing Bam Adebayo, which big man will control the interior and dictate the flow of the offense?
#3 Will Keegan Murray’s improved shot creation give Sacramento an edge on the wing against Miami’s physical perimeter defenders?
#4 How will Malik Monk’s scoring bursts match up against the Heat’s bench unit, which often swings momentum at home?
# 5 Can Raynaud and Monk provide the stability Sacramento needs on the road, especially in late-game situations against a disciplined Miami squad? Raynaud and Monk led Sacramento in scoring last Wednesday against the Houston Rockets with 25 points.
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 head coach Doug Christie says change is coming for the struggling Kings after Wed Nov 12, 2025 game against the Atlanta Hawks at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)
Sacramento Kings podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 How will Zach LaVine’s scoring ability impact Sacramento’s offense against Minnesota’s defence, and can he create enough opportunities for his teammates like Domantas Sabonis inside the paint?
#2 With Russell Westbrook now in Sacramento’s back-court, how might his play-making and veteran presence change the tempo and ball movement for the Kings in this game?
#3Given that DeMar DeRozan remains a focal scoring option for the Kings, how well will Minnesota’s bigs (such as Rudy Gobert) defend him one-on-one, and what adjustments might Sacramento make?
#4How will the absence (or limited availability) of Keegan Murray affect Sacramento’s front-court depth and how might Minnesota exploit that in terms of rebounding and second-chance points?
#5 Can role players like Keon Ellis or Malik Monk provide enough shooting threat to relieve pressure from LaVine and DeRozan, and how will their performance influence the pace of the game?
#6 Head coach Doug Christie says change is coming. Could a statement like that lose the players and the locker room?
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.
The Sacramento Kings shocked the 18,055 fans at the Toyota Center in Houston — when with one-second left to go in the game — Nemanja Bjelica put up a 33-foot, 3-point jump shot that went in for the winning basket. The Kings players ran off the bench to mob Bjelica, while the Rockets stood around with mouths wide open trying figure out what had just happened.
What had happened was the Kings had beaten the Houston Rockets 119-118 to close out their four-game road trip. What was even more of a surprise was this was the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. On Sunday, the Kings beat the Dallas Mavericks on a last-second basket also by Bjelica.
The Kings finished the road trip 2-2. SAC suffered back-to-back losses in Portland and San Antonio before putting together consecutive wins over Dallas and Houston (15-8). After losing the first two losses, the Kings could have easily gone 0-4 on this road trip. Finishing with two last-second victories over two of the best teams in the Western Conference is a testament to the Kings tenacity and response to the new coaching staff.
Sacramento (10-13) has endured a very tough time without two of their star players – Marvin Bagley III and De’Aaron Fox. The good news for the Kings is that Bagley — who has been cleared for full basketball contact — may well be back in the lineup on Wednesday night when the OKC Thunder visits the Golden 1 Center. The team reports that Fox’s rehabilitation is going well, but no timetable has been set for his return.
This game was truly a battle that featured 12 lead changes and 14 ties.
Leading Scorers
Russell Westbrook was the high scorer in the game putting 34 points in the scorebook.
Buddy Hield led the Kings scoring attack with 26 points.
The Glass Cleaners
J.P. Tucker pulled down 19 rebounds and made it a double-double game by scoring 10 points.
Harrison Barnes was the Kings top rebounder with eight.
Dishing out dimes
James Harden was the leading assist distributor dishing out 10 dimes to go with 27 points.
Trevor Ariza contributed seven assists for the Kings.
Game Notes
The Kings hit 40 of 88 (45.5%) field goal attempts in Houston. 20 of those buckets were 3-point baskets.
SAC worked the free throw line in this game. The went to the line 22 times and put the ball through the hole 19 times.
The Kings kept the turnovers to a minimum again making just 10 giveaways that resulted in 13 Houston points.
Both coaches used just eight players in the contest.
The Kings bench outscored the Rockets second unit 27-23.
Cory Joseph must be given credit for the incredible job he did on defense. He spent most of the game guarding “The Beard”. Joseph put up 14 points and added six assists while guarding Harden.
Up next
The Kings return to action on Wednesday night when they will host the OKC Thunder at the Golden 1 Center.
The Rockets head out to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
#1 Charlie O talks about why the Kings didn’t use Buddy Hield in the last five minutes of Monday night’s game in Minnesota. He didn’t want to talk about Hield and why he was benched at the end of the game. The question came up at the beginning of the press conference.
#2 Kings head coach Dave Joeger doesn’t like being questioned about his coaching and why he makes some of the moves that he did. Hield and Joeger got into a jawing match when they were playing Golden State.
#3 The Kings have struggled against Western Conference opponents with a 17-23 road record, but you would have never known that after watching the Kings play the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 119-116 win.
#4 Coming off the game in Minnesota and knowing Joeger’s reaction to the Hield question, will Joeger and the Kings shake the T-Wolves game off and turn the page?
The Sacramento Kings entered the homestretch of the NBA season knowing that they needed to really improve their record versus Western Conference teams. As they began the game in Oklahoma City on Saturday night, Sacramento was 16-22 on the season versus Western Conference foes and just 5-12 playing those teams on the road.
After losing a heartbreaker to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, the Kings had to travel to OKC to face the Thunder who feature Russell Westbrook – “the King of the triple-double” – and the potential 2018-19 MVP Paul George who own the third spot in the Western Conference.
OKC was coming off a tough Friday night
The Thunder hosted the Utah Jazz on Friday night and had to really battle to come away with a victory. That game went into two overtimes before the Thunder finally put the Jazz away 148-147.
Paul George had to play 50-minutes. Russell Westbrook spent almost 43 minutes on the floor before fouling out in the first overtime.
The Kings needed to take advantage of the Thunder playing in the second game of a back-to-back set, especially when the first game went into double overtime.
First half perfection
Photo: @SacramentoKings
The Kings did exactly what they needed to do in the first 24-minutes of the game. Sacramento shot 50-percent (25/50) from the floor. They struggled a bit from downtown hitting just 3-of-12 (33.3%) from long range. They dished out 16 assists while turning the ball over just six times. Those six turnovers resulted in eight Thunder points.
Buddy Hield led the SAC scoring attack with 18 points in the half. He went 8-for-12 shooting including two 3-pointers. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 12 points by going 4-for-6 from the floor. Marvin Bagley III came off the bench to score 11 points and grab six rebounds.
To no one’s surprise, Russell Westbrook led the charge for Oklahoma City who looked tired and out of sync right from the opening tip-off. Westbrook put 18 points in the book while Paul George was the next leading scorer with seven points.
The Thunder shot just 35.8-percent (19/53) from the field. The had just eight assists and turned the ball over eight times which resulted in 12 Sacramento points.
At the end of the first half, the Kings held a 63-49 lead over the Thunder.
The second half had to mean a Thunder comeback
Even if they are tired, a visiting team cannot expect to keep a talented team like the Thunder from making big runs in order to get back into the game.
The Thunder went on an 18-6 run to begin the third quarter and cut the Kings lead to just two points with 7:29 to go in the period. The Kings woke up and began to play their game. Sacramento went back up by 14 points with 2:24 remaining in the quarter.
With 36-minutes in the book, the Kings still held a 94-83 lead, but everyone had a feeling that the Thunder were not ready to give up.
The final 12:00
OKC used a combination of strong play from Dennis Schroder, Paul George, Markieff Morris and of course, Russell Westbrook to fight their way back into the game one more time. By the 6:26 mark, the Thunder had cut the Kings lead to three points.
Russell Westbrook would go on to score 15 of the 33 points the Thunder would score in the quarter. The lead changed four times in the period. OKC outscored SAC 33-25 in the final 12-minutes which is what made it such a close game.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings free throw shooting down the stretch allowed them to hang on and win the game 119-116.
Kings by the numbers
The win raised the Kings record to 31-28 on the season which allows them to remain in sole possession of ninth place in the Western Conference. The Clippers beat the Grizzlies so they are 1.5 games ahead in eighth place. The Lakers lost to the Pelicans (even with Anthony Davis held out of the game) which means they are now two games back of the Kings in 10th place.
Top performers:
Bagley scores two of his 19 points Photo: @SacramentoKings
Buddy Hield led the SAC scoring attack with 34 points. “Buddy Buckets” hit 12-of-22 shots overall and went 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line. He also was very effective from the free throw line converting 7-of-9 opportunities.
Marvin Bagley III recorded a double-double by scoring 19 points and hauling 10 rebounds. MB35 also added three assists, three blocked shots, and two steals.
De’Aaron Fox also scored 19 points in the game. He also dished out nine assists, blocked three shots and added a steal.
Team performance:
The Kings outscored the Thunder 48-46 in the Paint
The Thunder won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 16-7
Even though they were tired, OKC scored more Fast Break Points than the Kings 25-19
SAC shot 45.8-percent (44/96) for the game
They hit 7-of-19 (36.8%) from long range
The Kings converted 24-of-34 (70.6%) from the free throw line. The key was the number of opportunities.
The team was out-rebounded 59-46 and still managed to win the game
Protecting the ball has become a key trait for Sacramento. They turned the ball over just nine times which resulted in 15 OKC points.
The Kings recorded 24 assists which denotes excellent ball movement
Checking the book for OKC
Key individuals performances:
Russell Westbrook was the game’s high scorer with 41 points. Westbrook connected on 15-of-30 field goal attempts and made 5-of-12 3-point shots. He also had a good night at the charity stripe converting 6-of-8 opportunities. Westbrook made it a double-double game by adding 10 rebounds.
Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 14 points. The German transplant went 5-for-12 shooting.
Paul George also scored 14 points but he was 4-for-19 shooting for the contest. That 50-plus minutes of playing time on Friday obviously took its toll.
Markieff Morris put 10 points playing some key minutes late in the game for George.
Team numbers
The key number you need to know is the field goal shooting percentage. The Thunder shot just 38.1-percent (40/105) for the game. A team almost never wins a game in the NBA when they shoot under 40-percent. Yet, OKC came within four points of putting this game in the win column.
Up next
The Kings wrap up this 3-game road trip on Monday in Minnesota versus the Timberwolves.
The Thunder will return to action on Tuesday on the road in Denver against the Nuggets.
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings made their return to the Golden 1 Center after a well-needed week off. The return of Frank Mason and Skal Labissiere jump started the Kings final 25-game schedule with a 110-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night. The reigning MVP, Russell Westbrook, proved once again why he is one of the most clutch players in the league by racking up his 18th triple-double of the season and hitting the game-winning shot.
After trailing by 23 points in the first quarter, the Kings took advantage of their opportunities with the second unit lead by Buddy Hield with 19 points and Vince Carter with 13 points. The Kings cut the lead within eight at half, and then it was Zach Randolph time. Z-Bo finished his night with 29 points and 12 rebounds and put the Kings up by five with under four minutes to go. After several lead changes, the Thunder led by two with just 11 seconds to go in the game. Vince Carter put up a shot from about 34 feet out–missed–was tipped up several times, and with one second left, Justin Jackson came flying in for the put back lay-up to tie the game.
With exactly one second to go, Westbrook caught the in-bounds pass on the wing, and rose-up over Garrett Temple and drained the three-pointer as the clock expired. Although Westbrook did struggle from the field, he reminded us why he is a perennial All-Star in this league. His teammates Paul George and Carmelo Anthony picked him up on the scoring end, as they combined for 49 points.
When the Kings return to Golden 1 Center on Saturday night, they will have a fully rejuvenated lineup as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Sacramento will see Isiah Thomas for the first time since he has put on the Purple and Gold. The Kings extended their record to 18-40 as OKC gets their 34th win of the season and stand pat as the fifth seed in the West.
The Golden State Warriors faced the OKC Thunder Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors, fresh off a smashing victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, had a tough time getting their game going as OKC took advantage of the Warriors eleven turnovers in the first half. The Thunder’s defense held the Dubs to just eight three-point shots. The game was tied at 56 at the half. The Warriors, behind Kevin Durant’s 40 points, broke the game open in the third quarter as they were able to beat the Thunder 121-100.
The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, and Enes Kanter led the Thunder’s offense. They played well on defense. The Thunder led 31-30 after the first quarter. The Thunder went on a 9-3 run to start the second quarter. The Warriors came back and took the lead 44-42. The Dubs’ David West scored six and KD made a trey to tie the game at 42. The Dubs were up by four 56-52 near the end of the quarter. Russell Westbrook scored the last 4 points, and the game was tied at 56 to end the first half. Kevin Durant knocked down 20, and Steph had 13 to lead Golden State in scoring.
The Warriors, as they have done so many times this year, owned the third quarter. Draymond Green scored six points to start the quarter. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson all came alive in the period. The Warriors stopped making turnovers, and they played superb defense. They outscored OKC 37-22 to take a 15 point lead after three periods of play. They did not let up in the fourth quarter. They increased the lead to 19 with 7:41 left to play. With the score 117-94, coach Steve Kerr removed his starters from the game. JaVale McGee, Ian Clark, Kevon Looney, Patrick McCaw and Shaun Livingston finished the game, and the Warriors won the game by a final score of 121-100
Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors improved their record to 36-6 and OKC fell to 25-19. OKC’s big man, Steve Adams, was not able to play as he is recovering from a concussion. Klay Thompson was in Portland due to an illness in the family, but he flew back in time to be in the lineup.
Kevin Durant had another double-double. He recorded 40 points, 4 assists, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. Steph Curry pitched in with 24 points, 8 assists, and 4 boards. Klay scored 14. Draymond Green also had a double-double. Draymond pitched in with 12 points, 5 assists, ten rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Shaun Livingston(8), David West(8), and Andre Iguodala(6) all made contributions in helping the Dubs win. The scoring leader for OKC was Russell Westbrook. Westbrook had a quadruple-double. He scored 27 to go along with 13 assists, 15 rebounds, and 10 turnovers. Victor Oladipo had 20, and Enes Kanter picked up 22 coming off the bench.
The Warriors outrebounded the Thunder 46-36. The Dubs recorded another game with over 30 assists. They had 35 assists on 48 field goals. They were great on defense as they had 8 blocks and ten steals.They outscored the Thunder 56-48 in points in the paint, and they had 29 fast break points compared to 19 for the Thunder. The one negative was turnovers. The Warriors committed 18 turnovers, and that cost them 29 points. They made 11 turnovers in the first half but had better ball control in the second as they were able to pull away and record the win.
The Warriors start a four-game road trip Friday Night in Houston. Game time is at 5 pm. The Rockets beat the Warriors in double overtime earlier in the season at Oracle Arena. The Rockets are 33-12, and Jame Harden’s play has him in the running for the NBA’s MVP.The Warriors then go to Orlando, Miami, and Charlotte before returning home to face the LA Clippers on January 28th.
Westbrook en route to 20th triple-double Photo: Kelley L Cox USA Today Sports
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Sacramento — Stop me if you have heard this before. “Tough night. Tough game to watch. The guys (Kings) are playing as hard as they can,” Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger after watching his team lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-118. The Kings actually cut the Thunder lead to just two points with 11-seconds to go in the game, but there was not enough time left to finish the potential comeback.
The Kings were down by 12 points with 2-minutes remaining in the game and it felt like things were over at that point. Three 3-point baskets by Tolliver, Collison and Gay along with three Oklahoma City turnovers allowed Sacramento to work their way back into the game. Literally, the Kings waited 60-seconds to long to start their comeback and have enough time to finish it with a positive outcome.
The Kings are playing hard. They are not giving up. They just do not have enough “____________” (fill in the blank with your own opinion because there are so many and no one idea seems to be the right one at this moment). There can be no doubt that something is missing. Be assured the Kings want to fix it. At this point, it must not be that easy to fix or the organization would do it immediately.
No team wants to be in playoff contention – and the Kings are still in ninth place one-game back of Portland even after this loss – with a record of 1-5 on a seven-game homestand. The Kings management, coaching staff and players want to fix whatever is wrong. At this point, they just have not been able to do so successfully.
What will the Kings do next? They have a multitude of options so predicting the next move is very difficult despite whatever anyone is saying. The one thing that is known at this point is the Kings want that eighth spot in the Western Conference Playoffs.
Dave Joerger draws up a play for the Kings versus the Thunder Photo: NBAE
It was a long game on Sunday night
Early in his postgame comments, Kings head coach Dave Joerger talked about what a long game it was on Sunday night. In fact, Joerger said it felt like game went on for hours.
There were 57 personal fouls committed by both teams
A total of 81 free throws were attempted
Four technical fouls were assessed
Add in timeouts, arguments by coaches and players plus video reviews and it was a long night for everyone
Stars of the game
Cousins goes to the basket against the Thunder Photo: NBAE
Russell Westbrook – it did not look like the triple-double machine would pull off another impressive stat night early in the game. The OKC star guard had just 11 points, four rebounds and six assists at the half. By the time game ended, Westbrook had posted his 20th triple-double of the season by scoring 36 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. The man is truly a phenomena.
DeMarcus Cousins – the Kings center had a big night as he scored 31 points for his team and made it a double-double game by hauling in 11 rebounds (6 offensive). He also had seven assists. It was not a great shooting night as he went 8-for-20 from the floor but Cousins made up for it from the free throw line by hitting 14-of-17 from the stripe.
Co-stars
Darren Collison – the point guard had just two points in the first half of the game and finished the game with 21 points. He shot 7-for-9 from the floor including going 2-for-3 from 3-point range. Collison also took advantage of the charity stripe going 5-for-6 from the free throw line. He also posted two assists and two steals.
Enes Kanter – he is an easy selection for the Thunder. When Steven Adams went down due to injury, Kanter picked up the slack. Kanter scored a season-high 29 against the Kings hitting 10-of-18 shots. He also recorded a double-double by pulling down 12 rebounds.
Other featured players
Rudy Gay brings the ball up the floor versus the Thunder Photo: NBAE
Kings – Rudy Gay 21 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Tolliver 10 points, Garrett Temple 8, Matt Barnes 7 points and 8 rebounds, Arron Afflalo 7 points
Thunder – Victor Oladipo 23 points shooting 7-for-14, Alex Abrines 13 points and Steven Adams 6 points and 4 rebounds in just 19-minutes before being injured
Spotlight on stats
Points in the Paint: Thunder 56 Kings 46
2nd chance points: Kings 17 Thunder 14
Fast break points: Thunder 25 Kings 9
Turnovers: Kings 22 (23 pts for OKC) Thunder 19 (28 pts for SAC)
Steven Adams, OKC Thunder – Adams went down after battling for a rebound at the 10:48 mark of the third quarter. He left the court and did not return to the game. Adams hit his head on the floor and was experiencing concussion-like symptoms. He will be evaluated on Monday to determine if he must enter the NBA concussion protocol program.
Up next on the schedule
Kings – Sacramento closes out the seven-game homestand versus the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento is just 1-5 on the current homestand and would like to close it out on a positive note before heading out on a brutal road trip. The Kings will play eight games over 13 days on the road and will not be back in Sacramento until February.
Thunder – Oklahoma City has the second game of a back-to-back set on Monday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers. The Thunder will then head back to the Bay Area on Wednesday night to take on Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors in a nationally televised game.
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