The Sacramento Kings were well on their way to another flat, lackluster loss in front of a home crowd on Monday night before chaos unfolded in crunch time.
One game removed from a much-needed win in Denver that snapped an eight-game losing streak, the Kings were on the ropes late against the Minnesota Timberwolves, trailing by ten points with less than three minutes to go in regulation.
Malik Monk flipped a switch in the clutch, Keegan Murray had one of the strongest showings of his NBA career, and Sacramento gifted fans in attendance at Golden 1 Center with a 117-112 comeback win–one that gave the Kings consecutive wins for the first time this season.
During a start to a season that has been filled with disappointment and frustration, Sacramento (5-13) flipped the script and delivered its most impressive win of the season.
The Kings have been brutal to start the season, but you wouldn’t know it based on tonight’s atmosphere. 17,000-plus fans sounded off and helped lift Sacramento to one of the best comebacks in recent memory.
KEEGAN FOR THE LEAD ☔ pic.twitter.com/85RFPnTAsH
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 25, 2025
Sacramento Kings vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Main Takeaways
Both teams struggled from the field early, and Sacramento looked as if its cohesiveness from Saturday’s win in Denver (season-high 32 assists) had reverted back to a “your turn, my turn” offense.
The Kings turned the ball over four times over the first five minutes of action, allowing Minnesota to take an early seven-point lead, but Sacramento did a good job of leaning on its second unit to stop the bleeding.
Malik Monk and Dennis Schroder–who entered the night averaging 16.2 points and 5.4 assists per game on 40 percent shooting from deep over five appearances in a reserve role–aided the Kings’ offense to keep the Timberwolves within reach.
While Sacramento’s second unit kept things from getting out of hand in the first, the Kings fell victim to the Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle show in the second.
Edwards (17 points) and Randle (11 points) combined to score 28 points during the first half, helping Minnesota push its lead to 14 points. Thankfully for Sacramento, an aggressive Keegan Murray scored 10 of his 15 first-half points in the second quarter to trim the deficit to eight at the break.
Murray, who logged his third appearance since returning from a hand injury, showcased an increased sense of aggression, leading the Kings with 11 first-half field goal attempts while attacking off the dribble and in transition–a welcome sight for an offense that has leaned heavily on mid-range, slow-paced points of attack.
Coast-to-coast Keegan 🏎️ pic.twitter.com/q5mG2PqVVo
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 25, 2025
A motivated Murray, paired with a 10-point third quarter from DeMar DeRozan, brought Sacramento within 82-77 heading into the fourth, but the Timberwolves would quickly throw a wrench into the Kings’ momentum during the opening minutes of the final period.
Minnesota opened up the fourth on an 11-2 run that put Sacramento in a double-digit hole, but the Beam Team wouldn’t say die.
Monk took over late, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter (the Timberwolves scored 19 as a team in the period), attacking the basket and converting from beyond the arc.
The Kings trailed 99-89 with 2:51 remaining, but ended the game on a 12-2 run to send things to overtime. From that point on, it was all Sacramento.
Murray delivered on a clutch triple that put the Kings in front by three with two minutes to go in overtime, and Monk’s hustle on a loose ball allowed Sacramento to take away a second-chance opportunity for Minnesota with just over a minute to go–a play that will show up as only a rebound in the box score, but very well may have sealed the win for good.
It won’t appear on the stat sheet at all, but just look at Malik Monk’s effort to keep this ball in play, trying to help his team secure the OT victory. pic.twitter.com/Bi6FsWAr9s
— Chris Watkins (@ChrisMWatkins) November 25, 2025
While Murray and Monk had big moments, one of the greatest scorers in league history did what he did best on Monday, and that’s get buckets.
DeMar DeRozan ended the night with a season-high 33 points (nine in overtime) on nine-of-16 shooting from the field. The future Hall of Famer didn’t take a three-point attempt, but didn’t need to en route to a prime closing performance.
It seemed like everything needed to go right for the Kings during the final minutes of regulation, and it did.
Murray (26 points and a career-high 15 rebounds) arguably had his best game as a pro. Monk turned into a microwave scorer, finishing with 22 points off the bench. DeRozan shook off a sluggish recent stretch by racking up his most points of the young season.
Even on a night where the Kings’ glaring issues (rebounding and three-point shooting) loomed large, they still found a way to come out on top and fire a beam off into a cloudy Sacramento skyline.
Welcome Back, Keegan
DeRozan’s 33 points may have led the Kings in scoring on Monday, but Sacramento doesn’t win this game without Keegan Murray.
Murray, who missed the first 15 games of the regular season due to his recovery from wrist surgery, has looked better in each of his first three games thus far, but the fourth-year forward put on a show against Minnesota.
Not only did Murray defend guards and bigs on Monday, but he also racked up a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field (three-of-five from deep) over 44 minutes of action.
The former fourth-overall pick didn’t turn the ball over once during the win, which is impressive given Murray’s shot selection. Typically an off-ball threat, Murray’s new tendency to put the ball on the floor and attack resulted in attempts near the rim, something that Murray has shied away from over the years–but not today.
“Keegan is a key to this team. It’s his team,” DeRozan said of Murray after the game. “He’s one of those guys who’s going to be very, very special in this league, and he’s showing it. There are no limits on Keegan. None. And he shouldn’t think there’s any limits… there’s nothing that he can’t do on that court.”
When asked about his forward’s performance, Doug Christie had plenty to say, but his final statement on Murray was to the point:
“He’s a special player, man. Special.”
The Sacramento Kings are now 5-1 when Keegan Murray posts 20+ points and 10+ rebounds.
Good things happen when Murray is aggressive. pic.twitter.com/8yc2g7ddP5
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) November 25, 2025
Stats & Notes
With his field goal at the 1:05 mark of Q3 tonight vs. MIN, DeMar DeRozan passed Alex English (25,613) for 24th on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaders list.
Sacramento Kings Injury Report
All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks as he recovers from a partially torn meniscus in his left knee. (Estimated Return: Mid-late December)
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will conclude a brief two-game homestand on Wednesday night against a Phoenix Suns team that has been one of the more surprising stories in the NBA to begin the regular season.
Sacramento dropped a 120-116 contest to the Suns in Phoenix on October 22nd (season-opener for both teams), with Devin Booker’s 31-point outing out-dueling Zach LaVine’s 30-point performance.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Phoenix Suns action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before a 7:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.
YouTube video
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Wednesday, November 26th – vs. Phoenix Suns – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, November 28th – @ Utah Jazz – 6:30 PM PT
Sunday, November 30th – vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 6:00 PM PT
Wednesday, December 3rd – @ Miami Heat – 5:00 PM PT
Saturday, December 6th – @ Miami Heat – 5:00 PM PT
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