The Sacramento Kings won’t look back on the 2025-26 season with fond memories, but Devin Carter gave Kings fans something to smile about on Tuesday night.
Sacramento and the Indiana Pacers took the floor at Golden 1 Center with nearly identical records at the bottom of the NBA standings, as both teams have had to navigate numerous injuries throughout the season, but only one team could come away victorious in this one–and it didn’t seem like it would be the Kings for the first three-plus quarters of action.
Although the Pacers led for over 32 minutes of play, Sacramento completed a thrilling comeback win behind a career night from second-year guard Devin Carter en route to a 114-109 win, one that gave the Kings their second-straight win.
Carter erupted for 22 points in the fourth quarter alone, establishing a new career-high and giving Sacramento (16-50) back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly two months.
keep goin, 22 🫡 pic.twitter.com/LiH57ZITCN
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 11, 2026
Kings vs. Pacers Recap: ‘The Devin Carter Game’
Expectations were low for Kings vs. Pacers, but it didn’t take long for Sacramento to dig itself into a hole against the second-worst team in the league.
Sacramento’s three-point shooting failed them in the first half, as the Kings went into the break having converted just 2 of 13 attempts (15%) from beyond the arc.
Indiana’s interior defense was a weakpoint early, with Sacramento scoring 30 of its 42 first-half points in the paint, but the Pacers rode the hot hand of forward Aaron Nesmith (24 first-half points) to take control and build a 17-point lead at the half.
Nesmith (seven-of-seven) did a lot of his early damage at the foul stripe, with Indiana going 13-of-14 (93%) from the line during the first two quarters, taking advantage of 10 first-half fouls by the Kings’ defense.
Kam Jones comes up with the loose ball and Aaron Nesmith gets a tough bucket 💪 pic.twitter.com/jvyeXkHWo5
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 11, 2026
The Pacers led by as many as 20 points as the game rolled into the second half, but Sacramento’s deep bench brought itself back from the dead and injected life into a one-silent Golden 1 Center.
Devin Carter, Killian Hayes, and two-way guard Daeqwon Plowden led a 19-4 run that trimmed the deficit to single digits with less than ten minutes to play, with Carter leading the charge after spending the entire first half on the bench.
Once he entered the game for the first time in the third quarter, the game went through Carter, the 13th pick from the 2024 NBA Draft, and the Providence guard put on a show.
Carter scored 22 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, attacking off the dribble and knocking down three of his four attempts from three-point range. The 23-year-old also finished the night with five rebounds, three assists, and one steal over just 16 minutes of action, but those minutes were enough to lead the Kings to a win over Indiana.
Thanks to Carter’s 22-point fourth quarter, Sacramento outscored the Pacers 42-27 in the final frame, erasing a 12-point deficit and handing Indiana its tenth-straight loss.
Carter’s 22-point period nearly outscored the entire Indiana Pacers offense in the fourth (27 points).
The second-year guard became the first Kings player to score 22 or more points in a single quarter since Keegan Murray (26 points in the 3Q vs. Utah in 2023).
Carter was seen hobbling after the game and said he injured his shin in the final seconds. He added that he will get treatment and hopes to play on Wednesday vs. Charlotte.
DEVIN CARTER BANGGGG 👌 pic.twitter.com/yZzm2UA4bv
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 11, 2026
The massive fourth quarter established more history for Devin Carter, who joined DeMar DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox (6x), Isaiah Thomas (2x) Buddy Hield, Skal Labissiere, Kevin Martin, Mitch Richmond, John Salmons, and Peja Stojakovic as the lone Kings to score 20+ points in the fourth quarter since the start of the 1996-97 season.
Although Devin Carter hadn’t logged more than ten minutes in a game since March 1st, he stayed ready and capitalized on what are usually ‘garbage time’ minutes as it appeared Sacramento was well on its way to another losing effort.
Rather than roll over late in the game, Carter displayed his potential that many have been waiting to see out of the recent lottery pick, something we’ll have to see if he can build off of over the final month of the regular season.
Center Maxime Raynaud posted his 15th double-double of the season, becoming the 14th rookie in franchise history to post 15 or more double-doubles, and the first since Marvin Bagley III (2018-19).
Raynaud finished the night with 18 points and 11 rebounds on eight-of-15 shooting from the floor over 33 minutes.
NBA Draft Lottery Odds On The Line
Sacramento and Indiana entered play on Tuesday owning the two worst records in the NBA, giving both a 52.1% chance of landing a top-four pick and a 14.0% chance of winning May’s NBA Draft Lottery.
The bottom three records in the league will hold those identical odds of landing a top pick or top-four pick–but once a team drops out of the top three, the odds begin to decrease.
This added another level of intrigue to Tuesday’s matchup, especially when you factor in the implications–which surprisingly lean negative–when it comes to obtaining the worst NBA’s worst record.
Since the NBA implemented its new draft lottery odds in 2019, the team that finished with the league’s worst record has not won the lottery once, while the teams with the second- and third-worst records have each moved up to claim the No. 1 overall pick twice during that span.
With just 16 games remaining, here’s how things are shaping up in the chase for the top pick:
Sacramento Kings Injury Updates
Guard Malik Monk (right ankle) left the game during the second quarter and did not return. An update on Monk will become available in the coming days.
Forward Keegan Murray will be re-evaluated next week after suffering a mild left ankle sprain on February 25th.
Center Dylan Cardwell (left ankle sprain) will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Guard Zach LaVine (left fifth finger tendon repair) will miss the rest of the season.
Forward De’Andre Hunter (left eye retinal repair) will miss the rest of the season.
Center Domantas Sabonis (left knee meniscus repair) will miss the rest of the season.
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will conclude a five-game homestand on Wednesday night when they face the Charlotte Hornets at Golden 1 Center.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Charlotte Hornets 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.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Wednesday, March 11th vs. Charlotte Hornets – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, March 14th @ Los Angeles Clippers – 7:30 PM PT
Sunday, March 15th vs. Utah Jazz – 7:00 PM PT
Tuesday, March 17th vs. San Antonio Spurs – 7:00 PM PT
Thursday, March 19th vs. Philadelphia 76ers – 7:00 PM PT
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