In all likelihood, the Sacramento Kings are going to end up with more losses than wins this season, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing for the future of the organization if they obtain a high draft pick.
However, how the Kings lose said games does matter, and getting embarrassed on a regular basis has been a trend that Sacramento needs to eradicate as they navigate this rough start to the season.
Wednesday night’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns brought the latest blowout loss to the Kings’ doorstep, this time in a 112-100 final that drew the latest chorus of boos from fans at Golden 1 Center.
Falling behind by 25 points at the end of the first quarter all but put the final nail in Sacramento’s coffin, and although the Kings showed some fight late, it didn’t matter. It’s hard to win on a nightly basis in the NBA, but facing a 25-point deficit in the opening period all but ensures a losing effort.
As Malik Monk said postgame, it’s “almost impossible” to win games when falling behind that big, that early.
Losing is one thing, but playing competitive basketball is another. Through 19 games, Sacramento (5-14) has looked uncompetitive time and time again, falling into 20-plus-point holes early and often. That trend continued on Wednesday night.
The two-game winning streak was a breath of fresh air, but the Kings returned to their old ways, much to the disdain of a sellout crowd on Thanksgiving Eve.
An apparent disturbance with a Kings fan put the game on hold 😳 pic.twitter.com/1djfk3f1JR
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 27, 2025
Sacramento Kings vs. Phoenix Suns takeaways
All of Sacramento’s momentum from Monday night’s thrilling overtime win over Minnesota seemed to be erased as soon as the action tipped off on Wednesday.
The Kings had no flow on either end of the floor out of the gate, turning the ball over four times (and allowing ten points off turnovers) over the first six minutes of play as Phoenix jumped out to an early 18-point lead–but things would get much worse.
Doug Christie has often said he wants fans entering Golden 1 Center to be proud of the product on the floor. Effort isn’t something that Christie expects; it’s something that he demands. Effort was not evident for Sacramento in the opening period.
The Kings put themselves behind the eight-ball before the end of the first thanks to sloppy play (seven turnovers, 12 points allowed off those mishaps) and a return to the clunky, ‘your turn, my turn’ offense that results in isolation possession after isolation possession.
When the buzzer sounded at the end of the quarter, Sacramento had dished out zero assists and faced a 25-point deficit, while the Suns used their ten assists and nearly flawless execution on offense (one turnover) to push fans in attendance to rain boo’s down onto the floor earlier than usual.
The Kings finished the first half with more than double the amount of turnovers (11) than assists (five) as Phoenix took a 22-point lead into the third quarter.
Sacramento allowed 19 points off turnovers during the first two quarters and was outscored 12-4 on fastbreak points.
Keegan Murray makes it a 12-0 Kings run 👏 pic.twitter.com/HB2OY5eFsb
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 27, 2025
For the first time all night, the Kings displayed signs of life during the opening minutes of the second half.
Keegan Murray, who put on a show during Monday’s win over Minnesota (26 points and a career-high 15 rebounds), helped pace an 18-5 run that brought Sacramento back within single-digits for the first time since the first two minutes of regulation.
As was the case against the Timberwolves, the Kings benefited from strong showings from Murray and Malik Monk (eight points in the third) to bring themselves back from the dead and make it a ballgame heading into the fourth.
After falling back behind by 18 points to begin the final period, Russell Westbrook and Zach LaVine led a 9-0 Sacramento run that injected life–and hope–into the building as the Kings appeared to be on the way to emulating its comeback effort from 48 hours prior.
Sacramento’s run was quickly extinguished following a Phoenix timeout, and the Suns put the Kings away for good behind the strong play from center Mark Williams and bench guard Jamaree Bouyea, who scored six of his 11 points in the final frame.
In the end, an abysmal first quarter in which Sacramento was outscored 41-16 was the difference in this one. The Kings went on to win the final three periods 84-71–but one bad stretch is all it takes, and we see stretches like the first quarter far too often with this group.
Offensive cold spells happen. Blown rotations on defense are common–but hitting back when you’re getting hit hard is crucial, and by the time Sacramento got off the mat, it was too late.
“It’s almost impossible to come back and win the game when you go down 41-16 in the first quarter,” Monk said of the Kings’ ugly start that ended up acting as the glaring difference in the end. “You probably aren’t going to win a game when you’re going down 41-16.”
YouTube video
Sacramento ended the night with 20 assists and 19 turnovers, allowing Phoenix 34 points off those turnovers.
Keegan Murray had another strong showing (19 points and eight rebounds), and Russell Westbrook matched Murray’s stat line with 19 points and eight boards of his own in the loss.
Westbrook turned the ball over five times during the loss, but that didn’t lead the Kings on Wednesday.
Zach LaVine, who was off the floor in crunch time during both of Sacramento’s recent wins over Denver and Minnesota, had another rough showing against Phoenix, scoring just 13 points on five-of-14 shooting from the field while turning the ball over six times.
LaVine has failed to score 20+ points in five of his past six games, falling short of scoring 10 points in three of those contests. The star guard is shooting three-of-18 (16%) from beyond the arc over his past three games.
Sacramento Kings Injury Report
Point guard Dennis Schroder missed Wednesday’s game due to right hip soreness and is considered day-to-day.
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?
Following a brief two-game homestand, the Sacramento Kings will hit the road for one game before heading back to Northern California.
Sacramento will face the Utah Jazz on Friday night at the Delta Center in the second meeting between the two Western Conference foes this season.
On October 24th, the Kings squeaked out a 105-104 win thanks to a clutch go-ahead put-back by Domantas Sabonis with 6.4 seconds remaining.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Utah Jazz action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before a 6:30 pm PT tip-off from Salt Lake City.
YouTube video
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Friday, November 28th – @ Utah Jazz – 6:30 PM PT
Sunday, November 30th – vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 6:00 PM PT
Wednesday, December 3rd – @ Houston Rockets – 5:00 PM PT
Saturday, December 6th – @ Miami Heat – 5:00 PM PT
Monday, December 8th – @ Indiana Pacers – 4:00 PM PT
Thank you for readingSactownSports.com. Follow us onTwitterandGoogle News, and subscribe to ourYouTubechannel.