We’ve officially entered the time of the season where winning games can actually hurt the Sacramento Kings, and Sunday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets could end up being a difference-maker down the line.
Sacramento and Brooklyn entered play at Golden 1 Center separated by just a half-game in the NBA Draft Lottery standings, but the Kings’ 126-122 win dropped them 1.5 games behind the Nets–who now have some breathing room in the third slot with just ten games to go.
Of the top four teams in the mix for the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, only Sacramento has less than a current seven-game losing streak as teams look to lock in their spots for the Draft Lottery.
Indiana (16-straight losses), Washington (16-straight losses), and now Brooklyn (seven-straight losses) are well on their way to securing top-three odds, giving them identical odds of landing in the top-four (52.1%) and winning the lottery (14%).
All roads lead to the NBA Draft Lottery on May 10th, and Sacramento (19-53) just made it more likely that they will end up outside of the top three teams, barring an unexpected winning streak from the Pacers, Wizards, or Nets during the final weeks of the regular season.
MALIK “HANG TIME” MONK ✈️ pic.twitter.com/HpnbtoeeeT
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 23, 2026
Sacramento Kings vs. Brooklyn Nets recap & takeaways
On the heels of back-to-back 30-point efforts–the first Kings rookie to do so in over 30 years–Maxime Raynaud was in a groove to tip things off on Sunday afternoon.
Although Raynaud’s pick-and-roll partner, Russell Westbrook (foot soreness), was out of action, the rookie big man led all scorers with 17 points on eight-of-ten shooting from the field and eight rebounds during the first half.
Raynaud, Malik Monk (14 points), and Precious Achiuwa (12 points) were the table-setters for the Kings’ offense, but a hot start for the Brooklyn offense (54% FG and 41% 3PT during the first half) lifted the Nets to a 62-57 lead at the break.
Brooklyn handed out 18 assists during the first half while turning the ball over just once, a rare occurrence for a team that entered the day ranked 29th in turnovers per game (16.0).
Mr. Raynaud is putting in work 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dTxb8ntfMr
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 22, 2026
Malik Monk crossed the 20-point mark during the third quarter, the second time Monk has scored 20-plus points since January 18th, to help lead Sacramento to a 28-20 scoring advantage in the period.
The Kings took a three-point lead into the fourth, and Monk would get reinforcements in crunch time from some unlikely contributors.
With Sacramento missing starters Nique Clifford (ankle) and Killian Hayes (toe) during the final stretch, head coach Doug Christie called on veteran sharpshooter Doug McDermott and two-way forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. to check in.
McDermott and Baldwin knocked down two triples each during the fourth quarter while Devin Carter chipped in with a few baskets of his own to create more separation and put the Kings in position to secure the win before Monk delivered the final blow.
Monk scored 12 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to extinguish Brooklyn’s late charge and send a lively Golden 1 Center crowd home with a win–on Slamson’s birthday, of course.
The former Kentucky guard put on a show with his former head coach, John Calipari, current head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, in attendance. Monk finished the day with 32 points on eight-of-17 shooting (seven-of-13 from deep) to go along with six assists over 30 minutes.
Sacramento is 3-0 this season when Monk scores 26 points or more.
Malik is up to 30 points 🔥 pic.twitter.com/p0KIuOzkP4
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 23, 2026
Rookie center Maxime Raynaud racked up his 16th double-double of the season during the win, the most of all first-year players from the 2025 NBA Draft.
Raynaud scored 22 points (10-of-13 shooting) to go along with 10 rebounds and one blocked shot over 36 minutes.
The Stanford product has scored 84 points over the past three games, the ninth-most points over such a span in the Sacramento era (1985-present), only trailing Lionel Simmons and Walt Williams.
Monk and Raynaud led the way for a Kings offense that shot 52 percent from the field, 14-of-27 (52%) from three-point land, and 76 percent from the foul line while dishing out 30 assists.
How The Odds & NBA Draft Lottery Work
The NBA Draft Lottery is designed to give the league’s worst teams the best chance at landing the top pick, while discouraging outright tanking.
For a team like the Sacramento Kings, lottery odds come into play only if they miss the playoffs and finish in the bottom 14 of the standings.
The three teams with the worst records each have a 14 percent chance to win the No. 1 overall pick, with odds decreasing incrementally by record.
The NBA Draft Lottery itself only determines the top four picks. After that, selections are ordered by regular-season record.
This system means Sacramento can move up, stay roughly where projected, or slide back—sometimes significantly—depending on how the lottery balls bounce. It’s why even small differences in late-season standings matter. One extra win can slightly reduce top-pick odds but also protect against a big drop.
Sacramento Kings Injury Updates
Guard-Forward Nique Clifford left Sunday’s game after suffering a left ankle injury and did not return. An update on his status will be provided in the coming days.
Guard Killian Hayes left Sunday’s game after suffering a left toe injury and did not return. An update on his status will be provided in the coming days.
Guard Russell Westbrook (right foot soreness) missed Sunday’s game and is considered day-to-day.
Guard Daeqwon Plowden (right foot soreness) missed Sunday’s game and is considered day-to-day.
Forward Keegan Murray will be re-evaluated in two weeks after suffering a mild left ankle sprain on February 25th.
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.
Center Drew Eubanks (left hand UCL 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 embark on their final road trip of the season with a five-game East Coast swing that begins on Tuesday afternoon in Charlotte.
Sacramento dropped a 117-109 contest to Charlotte at Golden 1 Center on March 11th as the Hornets used a 30-point effort from LaMelo Ball to hold off the Kings.
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 4:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Tuesday, March 24th – @ Charlotte Hornets – 4:00 PM PT
Thursday, March 26th – @ Orlando Magic – 4:00 PM PT
Saturday, March 28th – @ Brooklyn Nets – 4:00 PM PT
Sunday, March 29th @ Brooklyn Nets – 3:00 PM PT
Wednesday, April 1st @ Toronto Raptors – 5:00 PM PT
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