Heading into their preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Sacramento Kings were without three starters.
Keegan Murray (thumb) and Domantas Sabonis (hamstring) remain sidelined, but DeMar DeRozan was a late scratch due to groin soreness. Malik Monk missed his second consecutive preseason battle due to an illness.
New addition Russell Westbrook spent his first game on Sacramento’s bench, but did not suit up as he’s returning to game conditioning.
That left head coach Doug Christie in a tough spot with his starting unit, with Luka Doncic on the other side.
He elected to begin with Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, Nique Clifford, Isaac Jones, and Drew Eubanks.
Clifford was assigned to slow down Doncic from the jump, a big ask for their rookie. His offensive game shone early, finding Jones on a pick-and-roll before subsequently finishing a smooth up-and-under.
rook takes it to the rack 💪
Highlight of the Game presented by @CALASIKandEye pic.twitter.com/KPSA41iwvy
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 18, 2025
But the game remained tight with Doncic finding his way to the basket, along with Rui Hachimura finishing plays for Los Angeles. Due to their limited availability, Maxime Raynaud, Dario Saric, and Devin Carter were all part of Christie’s first substitution.
Carter also got his chances at guarding Doncic, but the All-NBA guard found his way to make it look easy in the pick-and-roll, whether he was finishing at the rim, throwing lobs, or kicking out to shooters.
The offense-heavy first 12 minutes of play ended with Sacramento owning a narrow 36-34 lead. After shooting horribly in their prior preseason showings, they’d converted 6/10 from beyond the arc, with the Lakers going 5/10. Doncic had 13 points, three assists, and two rebounds.
LaVine continued his offensive rhythm into the second, but committed four of the Kings’ eight turnovers by mid-way through the second. Still, their efficient offense helped maintain a 43-42 advantage.
Ellis, playing point guard for stretches, caught fire from three with a few coming off the dribble. The fourth-year guard converted his first four triples before missing in the final moments of the half. He was up to 12 points while LaVine poured in 13 of his own. Doncic led the Lakers with 16 points and seven assists.
that’s tuff 😤 pic.twitter.com/jySB201zOQ
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 18, 2025
Both teams shot 9/20 from three in the half. Sacramento was 54.1 percent from the field compared to the Lakers’ 53.5 percent. The high-scoring first half ended 61-58 in favor of Los Angeles.
Sacramento began to slow down a bit to start the third, committing turnovers and fouls, but Doncic and the Lakers did not. But, as they say, basketball is a game of runs, and the Kings responded with one of their own quickly. Down two four (90-86) headed into the final frame, the Kings managed their production while struggling to limit turnovers.
Marcus Smart came alive late in his Lakers Crypto.com Arena debut by making his typical contributions by securing loose balls. Meanwhile, Schroder was generating paint touches, making plays for himself and teammates from there — with a few turnovers mixed in.
But, as Los Angeles has done in their previous preseason showings, their closing lineup featured the deep bench, allowing room for recovery.
Raynaud attacked closeouts, showing off his touch around the basket and midrange. He shared the floor with Carter, Clifford, Daeqwon Plowden, and Jones.
The Lakers closed with Nick Smith Jr., Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, and Christian Koloko.
Down 111-110, it was anybody’s game with two minutes on the clock. After some back-and-forth action, Raynaud was at the line for two free throw attempts with Sacramento down one.
The rookie missed both attempts, but a crucial offensive rebound from Jones allowed another opportunity. Raynaud capitalized, converting a contested layup to take a three-point lead.
Maxime Raynaud gets to the line down one with 11.7 seconds remaining.
He missed both but a crucial OREB from Isaac Jones allows another look and Raynaud converted a tough finish. pic.twitter.com/nj94q2GlEC
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 18, 2025
Lakers coach JJ Redick drew up an out-of-bounds play for sharpshooter Knecht, who knocked it down in rhythm. They were all knotted up at 116 with 9.4 left.
Jones attempted a push shot that was as far as time expired. After the crowd quieted in Los Angeles, officials announced a foul occurred with 0.8 remaining. Jones narrowly made the first before attempting to intentionally miss the second and run out the final seconds but didn’t hit the rim, leaving one more chance for the Lakers.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
The Sacramento Kings made several headlines this week, most notably by signing nine-time NBA All-Star guard Russell Westbrook and extending forward Keegan Murray for five years and $140 million.
Kings general manager Scott Perry joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share his thoughts on bringing Westbrook to the Beam Team, explain why extending Murray for the long haul is integral to what Sacramento is looking to build, and much more.
Be sure to check out the entire interview with Scott Perry on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.
Read More:
Exclusive: Kings GM Scott Perry on signing Westbrook, extending Murray
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Preseason
Friday, October 17th @ Los Angeles Lakers – 7 PM PT
Regular Season
Wednesday, October 22nd – @ Phoenix Suns – 7 PM PT
Friday, October 24th – vs. Utah Jazz – 7 PM PT
Sunday, October 26th – vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 6 PM PT
Tuesday, October 28th – @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 5 PM PT
Wednesday, October 29th – @ Chicago Bulls – 5 PM PT
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