The Sacramento Kings came into Sunday night playing their third game in four nights on the road. In a battle of the bottom feeders, they met a Brooklyn Nets squad on a 10-game losing skid.
Expecting an interesting night of basketball, I headed in, but it proved to be a one-sided affair.
The home side uncharacteristically shot 11/23 from three in the first half. Despite ending the game 17/41 from deep, the distance they created was maintained throughout.
Six of the Kings’ nine active players reached double-digit points. Devin Carter led his side with 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists on 6/12 shooting, while Nique Clifford added 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and 8/14.
The ususals of Domantas Sabonis (knee), De’Andre Hunter (eye), Zach LaVine (finger), and Drew Eubanks (thumb) were all sidelined. Russell Westbrook (toe), Keegan Murray (ankle), and DeMar DeRozan (hamstring) all sat out with injuries as well.
Just the second game DeRozan has missed all season, it left ample opportunity for young players to try to handle expanded responsibility.
Sacramento Kings @ Brooklyn Nets
Sacramento head coach Doug Christie elected to start Devin Carter, Nique Clifford, Daeqwon Plowden, Precious Achiuwa, and Maxime Raynaud.
Both teams involved in this Sunday’s matchup sit in the bottom three in three-point percentage on the season. That was apparent for the Kings, but Brooklyn caught fire from deep early.
Two minutes into the action, they were 3/4 from deep. Meanwhile, Sacramento’s first six points all came from inside the painted area.
Perhaps losing in Atlanta the night prior had an impact, because their defensive effort and overall execution were lacking.
Finding themselves down nearly double digits halfway through the frame, the lack of DeRozan’s creation was apparent. For moments, Killian Hayes tried to create off the bench with mixed results.
Clifford had a few moments while Maxime Raynaud did his usual finishing plays around the basket. Sharpshooter Doug McDermott made his team’s first three-point attempt with about four minutes to play in the opening frame. They had attempted just four, while the Nets were already 4/6 from distance.
McBuckets 🏹 pic.twitter.com/7Zf9vMYTgs
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 29, 2026
Given Christie’s defensive head-coaching style, just as he was as a player, he couldn’t have been pleased with his team’s efforts. Sure, Drake Powell, Noah Clowney, and Tyson Etienne beating you from three is just one of those nights.
But unforced, careless turnovers started at the end of the first, as the Kings trailed 31-18. The trend continued for the beginning of the second as the Nets’ bench went on a 12-0 run that was part of a larger 28-9 stretch.
That left Sacramento down 43-20 with 8:30 to play in the second half against one of the few teams below them in the standings.
Too many of their possessions were ticking down to the final seconds of the shot clock without the ball having reached the painted area. Their half-court offense was sluggish, with their defense looking similar.
Achiuwa began to power through smaller defenders while Raynaud became more involved, but they didn’t recover. By halftime, the Nets had made 11 triples to the Kings’ four, leading 88-45.
Trips to the free throw line were common, with each team adding 11 points from there. Nine turnovers for 12 Brooklyn points, while shooting just 37.5 percent (15/40) from the field, left them notably behind.
Raynaud led all scorers with 12 points and six rebounds. Traore, Clowney, and Ochai Agbaji had tallied double-digit points.
Their energy level picked up to start the second half as they pressured ball handlers and played with more physicality on that end.
Brooklyn attempted to maintain its lead by playing a slower game while Sacramento wanted to push the pace. More importantly, the Nets’ uncharacteristic shooting disappeared in both volume and percentage.
Seeming to emphasize getting downhill, the Kings found ways to succeed around the basket. Without much finesse available, they were going through defenders and pulling down a few offensive boards.
In the third quarter, Brooklyn scored 18 points. Sacramento scored 18 points in the paint, 28 total in the quarter to cut the lead back down to 13 (86-73) after a Jeffries triple closed out the half. Playing on a 10-day contract, the wing showed his three-point capabilities when playing with Stockton.
McDermott and Clifford added triples in the fourth, getting the deficit within 10 points (92-83) for the first time since the opening frame.
Nique brings the Kings within nine 👀 pic.twitter.com/tVkvO9Ftrp
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 30, 2026
Seven straight for the Nets killed momentum as the seven-and-a-half-minute reminder. It felt like now or never if they were going to make a final push. The Nets had returned to form with minimal threes, but a few poor possessions put it away early.
Clifford had more chances to handle the ball late with DeRozan out, but it came with mixed results. Two consecutive turnovers late in the fourth may look tough now, but they’re realistically good teaching moments for the rookie.
After their hot start, going 11/23 in the first half, the Nets ended the night 17/41 from deep, but the distance they created early was maintained throughout.
Six of the Kings’ nine active players reached double-digit points. Devin Carter led his side with 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists on 6/12 shooting, while Nique Clifford added 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and 8/14.
For those keeping track, that ends Brooklyn’s 10-game losing streak and brings the Kings (19-57) back within 0.5 games out of the 2nd-best lottery odds and 1.5 games behind first.
After two days off, the Kings will end their five-game road trip with a battle against the Raptors in Canada on Wednesday.
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Sunday, March 29th @ Brooklyn Nets – 3:00 PM PT
Wednesday, April 1st @ Toronto Raptors – 5:00 PM PT
Friday, April 3rd vs. New Orleans Pelicans – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, April 5th vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 6:00 PM PT
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