Since being drafted 13th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, it’s been an up-and-down two seasons for Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter. Never establishing a consistent rotational role certainly limited how much the fanbase has gotten to see the former lottery pick, and that remains the case even as they’ve owned the worst record for a majority of this 2025-26 season.
But Tuesday night was perhaps his best moment. After not entering the action for most of the game, Carter came in with four minutes to play in the third quarter as his team faced a double-digit deficit against the similarly shorthanded Indiana Pacers.
He went on to record a career-high 24 points in just over 16 minutes. What turned heads most was the combination of tough shot creation and efficiency, as he went 9/13 from the field and 3/4 from three. He was the driving force of their eventual comeback win, and the Golden 1 Center was loving every moment of it.
Kings Devin Carter career-high 24 PTS (9-13 FG, 3-4 3P, 84% TS), 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, +21 (+/-) in 16 minutes vs. Pacers
22 points in the 4th quarter https://t.co/V9MliBRPnI pic.twitter.com/5b6B0OUaAv
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) March 11, 2026
When speaking with the media postgame, Carter shared that he came in early that day to get extra shots up.
“Before our shoot around at four, I came in like 3:15 (and) got a little workout in,” he said. “Obviously, I haven’t been in a rotation too much, so I wasn’t expecting too much, but just me coming in, getting extra work in, just trying to stay ready, and tonight showed it.”
“It’s just using the ball screen for me,” Carter said when asked what was working for him. “Obviously, like I’m one of the faster guys in the league. So I can feel like I can turn the corner, you know, pretty quickly. And if they can’t stay in front, they can’t stay in front. But I definitely feel like it was easy for me to get downhill during the fourth quarter.”
That was on full display. He was also quick to remind everyone of his ability to shoot triples, referencing his 37.7 three-point percentage on 6.8 attempts per game in his final season at Providence.
Tallying the fastest three-quarter court sprint speed of his NBA combine class certainly helped play into his favor. While head coach Doug Christie, unsurprisingly, was also sure to point out his on-ball defense and pickup points, he also spoke highly of Carter’s ability to get downhill.
“As Dev continues to grow in this league, that is the consistency at what he has to find,” Christie said. “And that gravity that he has, that’s a special power, and that is an NBA skill. Not everybody can have that type of force downhill… His next step is to come back tomorrow and listen; the shot might not fall, but again, they’re controllables that he can control. And he plays with that type of gravity on both ends of the court, because I thought defensively he was really solid.”
Unfortunately, Carter was seen limping around the floor — while 50 Cent was in his ear hyping him up — after the final buzzer sounded. He said he rolled his ankle in the last few plays, but specifically noticed his shin more so in the final six seconds.
With the Kings set to host the red-hot Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, the day after Carter’s late-game heroics, the guard is listed as out with right calf soreness.
Hopefully, he’ll be able to get back on the court as soon as possible, and it’ll be interesting to see if that performance helped him earn a larger role in the final stretch of this season.
But he provided an unquestionable reminder for what made him a previous lottery pick and continuted development for his game would be a much-needed bright spot not just for Sacramento’s season, but his individual career as his second NBA season (and first healthy) winds down.
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When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will make a brief one-game road trip to Los Angeles for a matchup against the red-hot Clippers.
Los Angeles is 2-0 against the Kings this season, including a 114-111 win over Sacramento in the most recent meeting between these two Pacific Division foes on February 6th.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:00 PM PT on Game Night before a 7:30 pm PT tip-off from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
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
Sunday, March 22nd vs. Brooklyn Nets – 3:00 PM PT
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