The Sacramento Kings arrived at Intuit Dome on Saturday night with only nine players in uniform and the league’s third-worst record. They left with a statement win, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 118-109 in a game that ended with Sacramento pulling away and Kawhi Leonard hobbling to the locker room with a sprained left ankle.
DeRozan and Westbrook lead a depleted Kings squad
DeMar DeRozan was the driving force for a Sacramento team missing seven rotation players. DeRozan finished with 27 points to lead a balanced Kings attack that saw four players reach at least 20 points on the night.
Precious Achiuwa posted 25 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots, while rookie center Maxime Raynaud was brilliant in his efficiency, scoring 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field. Russell Westbrook added a quietly dominant performance, recording 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the 209th triple-double of his career, the most in NBA history, and his fifth of this season. Daeqwon Plowden chipped in 15 points off the bench.
The Kings shot 58.5% from the field on the night, including 44.4% from three-point range, numbers that painted a picture of a team that played with far more precision than its record would suggest.
Leonard makes history before the injury
The night had begun as a record-setting occasion for Leonard. His performance marked his 45th consecutive game scoring at least 20 points, surpassing the Clippers franchise record set by Bob McAdoo during the 1974-75 season when the organization was based in Buffalo. Leonard finished with 31 points before the evening took an unwanted turn.
With 9:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, Leonard was guarding DeRozan when he landed awkwardly, backpedaled a few steps and tumbled to the court. He rose quickly but the limp was noticeable as he made his way to the bench and then to the locker room. He did not return, and the Clippers offered no immediate word on whether he would miss additional time.
Darius Garland added 25 points and seven assists for Los Angeles, while Bennedict Mathurin came off the bench to score 24 points and nearly led a stunning late comeback.
Kings build a commanding lead before the Clippers push back
Sacramento controlled the game for the majority of three quarters. After the teams were tied at 39 in the second quarter, the Kings steadily pulled away and led 68-54 at halftime. They extended that advantage to 20 points in the third, holding the Clippers to 34.8% shooting during that stretch.
The Clippers, however, refused to let the game go quietly. Even without Leonard, they mounted a 20-4 run in the fourth quarter that pulled them within three on a three-point play from Mathurin with 5:24 to play, cutting what had been a comfortable advantage down to 101-98.
Sacramento steadied itself when it needed to. Back-to-back three-pointers from Plowden and Nique Clifford in the final three minutes pushed the lead back out and put the game away, with the Kings outscoring Los Angeles 15-9 over the final four minutes to seal a win that few would have predicted given the circumstances.
Draft implications lurk behind the victories
The Kings have now won three of their last four games, a stretch that reflects genuine competitive spirit from a roster still playing for something despite a 17-51 record. But those wins come with an uncomfortable subplot.
Sacramento had held the worst record in the NBA for several weeks before this recent run. Three consecutive victories have pushed the Kings to the third-worst record, now holding only a half-game cushion over the Brooklyn Nets. The difference matters in terms of draft lottery odds. The three teams with the worst records share a 52.1% chance of landing a top-four pick and a 14.1% chance of securing the first overall selection. Slipping to fourth changes those odds meaningfully, dropping to 48.1% and 12.5% respectively.
The Kings were without Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, De’Andre Hunter, Malik Monk, Devin Carter and Drew Eubanks on Saturday. Their ability to compete and win with nine available players is admirable. Whether it serves the franchise’s long-term interests is a more complicated question.
What comes next
The Kings return home Sunday to host the Utah Jazz before turning their attention to the final weeks of the regular season. The Clippers host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, though their preparations will be shaped entirely by what the medical staff learns about Leonard’s ankle in the coming days.
