Dec 30, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and guard Kris Dunn (8) defend Sacramento Kings guard Demar Derozan (10) as he drives to the basket in the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Perhaps even more disappointing than the fact the Kings basically stood pat at the trade deadline is the fact that there’s still 30 games left of this disaster of a season. Tonight the Kings face the L.A. Clippers who made some big moves of their own, but will likely be a bit shorthanded as their new additions won’t be available just yet. Tonight’s game is on Prime Video, so at least for one night, the entire country has to share in our misery.
**Who**: Sacramento Kings (12-40) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (23-27)
**Where**: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
**When**: 7:00 PM PT / 10:00 PM ET
**Watch**: Prime Video
The Clippers started out the season just as poorly as the Kings and even more surprisingly so, going 6-21. Since then though, they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league, going 17-6 and firmly re-entering the playoff race in the Western Conference. Kawhi Leonard is having a resurgent year, averaging a career-high 27.6 points on nearly 50/40/90 shooting splits. The Clippers did just trade their second and third leading scorers (James Harden and Ivica Zubac) at the deadline, and their replacements (Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin) aren’t available just yet so L.A. will be a bit more shorthanded than usual tonight.
The Kings are at nearly full strength, although Keegan Murray remains out until at least after the All-Star break and Domantas Sabonis is questionable with a sore back. Sacramento is currently riding a season-long 10 game losing streak and holds the NBA’s worst record.
The Kings started newcomer De’Andre Hunter in his first game as a King, and he finished with 9 points on 3-11 shooting in 26 minutes. He’ll likely get the job of trying to slow down Kawhi Leonard tonight. Good luck.
**Prediction**: Clippers 119, Kings 109