On a night that turned into a rollercoaster of emotions, the Sacramento Kings put together a complete effort at a much-needed time on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.
All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis suffered multiple injuries against the Memphis Grizzlies–a laceration to his face that required stitches during the first quarter and a scary ankle injury that resulted in his departure in the second half–as the Kings were forced to complete the game without their prized big man.
Even with Sabonis sidelined, Sacramento locked in on both ends of the floor to defeat the Grizzlies by a final of 132-122, snapping a four-game losing streak to pull itself back over the .500 mark.
The Kings (34-33) were impressive across the board, shooting 48 from beyond the arc while scoring 21 points off 18 Memphis turnovers.
Sacramento, who remains three games ahead of the Phoenix Suns for a spot in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, needs every win they can gather over the regular season’s final weeks, especially considering the brutal upcoming schedule.
Monday night was a strong start to a homestand that features matchups against Cleveland, Milwaukee, Boston, and Oklahoma City, but now the loss of Sabonis adds another hurdle to the Beam Team’s push for postseason basketball.
LARAVIA IS ON A HEATER TONIGHT. pic.twitter.com/MlSD5VVJ09
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 18, 2025
Kings vs. Grizzlies recap & takeaways
The injury bug bit Sacramento early, as Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine both took trips to the Kings locker room before the midway point of the first period.
Sabonis, who banged heads with Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard, suffered a laceration to his left eyebrow area and departed as the training staff attempted to stop the bleeding around the All-NBA center’s face.
Moments later, Zach LaVine turned his left ankle after stepping on Jaren Jackson Jr.’s foot, and the star guard limped up and down the floor for a few possessions before joining Sabonis in the locker room.
As the training staff worked on LaVine and Sabonis, Sacramento’s offense looked comfortable early against the Memphis defense.
Jake LaRavia got off to a quick start against his former team by scoring six points over his first two minutes of action, with one of his buckets being an emphatic hammer in transition. LaRavia stared down the Grizzlies’ bench after the flush, and the Kings were off and running to end the quarter from there.
Sacramento scored 37 points on 56 percent shooting from the field during the opening frame to jump out to an 11-point lead heading into the second.
Zach LaVine (16 first-half points) and Malik Monk (15 points) applied pressure to Memphis’ defense, and the Kings forced the Grizzlies into 12 turnovers–scoring 14 points off those mishaps–to take a 65-54 lead into the break.
Jake LaRavia with the steal and dunk, and long glare back at the bench of his former Memphis Grizzlies team. LaRavia and Devin Carter providing a big spark to end the opening quarter. Kings lead 37-26 after 1. pic.twitter.com/dJEnm7uk8C
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) March 18, 2025
A scary scene welcomed Sacramento into the second half as Domantas Sabonis appeared to severely turn his ankle during the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Sabonis, known for his durability and willingness to play through all kinds of bumps and bruises, immediately motioned to the Kings’ bench before being helped to the locker room. You could feel the air inside of Golden 1 Center deflate as Sabonis hobbled to the tunnel, and Memphis took advantage of the solemn atmosphere by trimming the deficit to four points.
Desmond Bane erupted for 20 points in the third quarter to put the Grizzlies in Sacramento’s rearview, but the Kings weathered the inspired run from Memphis thanks to a group effort from the offense.
Despite Bane’s best efforts, Sacramento’s collective attack proved deadly for the Grizzlies defense as Memphis failed to slow down a Kings offense that scored 130 points for the seventh time this season (6-1 when doing so).
LaRavia got his licks in against his old squad (12 points), but the starting five led the way on Monday night as the first five combined to score 98 points during the win. Malik Monk (28 points on 10/17 shooting with seven assists) had his highest-scoring game in nearly two months (January 25th) to lead all Sacramento scorers, while Zach LaVine added 23 points on five-of-eight from deep.
On the heels of an eight-for-32 (25%) showing from downtown on Friday in Phoenix, the Kings turned things around with a 20-of-41 (48.8%) performance against the Grizzlies.
Sacramento is now 15-3 (.833) when shooting 40 percent or better from beyond the arc.
💪🤝🏹 pic.twitter.com/ZpoDdZYDdK
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 18, 2025
Following the win, Malik Monk alluded to a stretch of play from the Kings’ bench during the second quarter that included a lineup of Keon Ellis, Devin Carter, and Jake LaRavia. The defensive trio helped force six turnovers in the period, with Carter finishing the night with four steals over just ten minutes of action.
Sacramento played a polished game on both ends, an encouraging sign following four abysmal performances that included lackluster offense (106.0 points per game) and rough defense (124.0 points allowed).
While the Kings’ three-point defense wasn’t as impressive on Monday (allowed Memphis to shoot 43%), they reverted to the original Beam Team blueprint–let the offense take you home.
It’s one game, but Sacramento showcased they have the offensive firepower to compete with anyone nightly. Consistency is the goal, and the Kings will look to find a balance against an upcoming schedule that features some of the best defenses in the game.
Injury Update
Domantas Sabonis (ankle) suffered a scary injury during the third quarter, which resulted in his departure from the game. Sabonis will undergo testing, and his status will be evaluated in the coming days.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will face the powerhouse Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center in the first leg of a back-to-back.
Cleveland, who recently had a 16-game winning streak snapped–the team’s third winning streak of at least 12 games this season–enters play on Wednesday with the best record in the NBA.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Cleveland Cavaliers drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 7:00 PM PT from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings
Wednesday, March 19th – vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:00 PM PT
Thursday, March 20th – vs. Chicago Bulls – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, March 22nd – vs. Milwaukee Bucks – 7:00 PM PT
Monday, March 24th – vs. Boston Celtics – 7:00 PM PT
Tuesday, March 25th – vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – 7:00 PM PT
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