The Sacramento Kings were well on their way to a sixth-straight loss, one that would have dropped their record to a franchise-record-tying 6-23 on Sunday night as they faced a 14-point deficit with less than ten minutes to go.
This team has been very predictable through two months of action, but what transpired over the final 15 minutes of play was quite unexpected.
Thanks to strong contributions and timely shot-making from several players, the Kings pulled out a 125-124 overtime win over the Houston Rockets at Golden 1 Center to snap the lengthy losing skid and give fans in attendance their first home Beam since November 24th.
Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder–Sacramento’s two offseason additions in the backcourt–came up big with clutch shots during the final seconds of regulation and overtime to help the Kings (7-22) secure a much-needed win.
Golden 1 Center crowd pops are back.
Dennis Schroder for the win. Kings snap a five-game skid in an OT thriller. pic.twitter.com/1XmKXOCGvM
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) December 22, 2025
Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets takeaways
Both teams entered Sunday’s rare 7 PM PT tip-off on the second night of back-to-backs, with Sacramento facing Portland at home and Houston traveling from Denver to Northern California on Saturday evening.
Russell Westbrook and the Kings struck first in this one, with the former MVP answering the call early against his former running mate in Kevin Durant. Westbrook scored eight points over the first four minutes of play to lead Sacramento’s 14-4 opening run, and Keegan Murray’s ten-point opening quarter provided the Kings with some early juice.
Three players ended the first half in double-figures for Sacramento (Murray, Westbrook, and DeMar DeRozan), but a flawed Kings defense got torched on the perimeter.
Entering play on Sunday, the Rockets were the NBA’s second-best three-point shooting team (40%), and they cleared that mark with ease during the first half.
Houston knocked down 10 of their 18 attempts (55%) from long distance before the break, giving them a 68-57 advantage–their largest lead of the night to that point–following two quarters of play.
Russ was FIRED UP after this triple 😤 pic.twitter.com/0vfONpoRz3
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 22, 2025
Sacramento remained in a double-digit hole for the entire third quarter, but the fourth brougth signs of life to Golden 1 Center.
Keegan Murray and Dennis Schroder led a 16-9 run to begin the period that cut the deficit to two points, giving fans in attendance an opprotunity to sound off in ways we haven’t heard for quite some time amid an abysmal start to the regular season.
The Kings got sloppy with the basketball with less than under 90 seconds remaining and allowing the Rockets to get two offensive boards (plus a steal), allowing a lot time to run off the clock as Houston maintained a five-point lead.
A Raynaud steal that led to a DeRozan bucket trimmed the deficit to three with 43 seconds to go, and chaos would unfold moments later.
Houston missed a three-point attempt, and the rebound bounced out to Schroder in transition. The veteran guard found Westbrook in the corner, and although the future Hall of Famer was eight-of-21 from the floor to that point, he drilled a game-tying triple that send the game to overtime as fans erpupted in an uproar.
Somehow, someway, Westbrook and the Kings forced five minutes of free basketball–even after facing a 14-point deficit with less than ten minutes in regulation.
Russell Westbrook (21 pts, 9 rebs, 4 asts) ties the game at 112 with a corner triple.
Kevin Durant missed a potential game winner and we’re headed to overtime in Golden 1 Center. pic.twitter.com/A862cKRbAH
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 22, 2025
While Keegan Murray (26 points on 9/14 FG) was the go-to option for most of the second half, Schroder took over in overtime as Sacramento’s head of the snake on offense.
The 32-year-old guard scored nine points in the extra period, none larger than his final three, which came on a game-sealing triple with three seconds remaining.
After the Rockets took a two-point lead with ten seconds to go on Jabari Smith Jr.’s free throws, the Kings had a chance to tie or take the lead for good. DeRozan drove, but almost got caught in no-man’s land before finding Schroder in the corner for an open look.
There haven’t been many crowd pops at Golden 1 Center this season, but once Schroder’s triple fell through the net, it felt like a time warp to the 2022-23 season as a near-sold-out crowd burst as Sacramento regained a one-point advantage with two seconds on the clock.
Schroder’s impressive night would end with a defensive stop on Kevin Durant, and the Kings escaped with their win of the season over a Houston team that entered the night with the Western Conference’s fifth-best record.
Schroder has thrived in a bench role this season, and Sunday’s game was arguably his best showing yet.
The veteran guard finished the night with a season-high 24 points (seven-of-14 from the field), seven rebounds, and ten assists (one turnover) over 31 minutes. Schroder entered the night averaging nearly 15-4-6 as a reserve over nine appearances, and he is settling nicely into his role behind Westbrook on the depth chart.
Speaking of Westbrook, the nine-time All-Star arrived at the postgame podium with a smile on his face. “We needed that,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook struggled from the field for most of the night, but saved the game with a clutch triple during the final seconds of the fourth quarter. The UCLA product finished the night with 21 points (eight-of-24 shooting), 13 rebounds, and four assists over 29 minutes.
It wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t pretty, but it was a win that was sorely needed for the players in the Sacramento Kings locker room–not to mention countless fans who haven’t seen a Beam in weeks.
Sunday’s win didn’t “fix” the Kings, and it may well end up being a brief distraction from a lost season, but that doesn’t change the fact that effort was present in this one. That’s what fans want to see. Effort. If that’s there, results like this overtime win will continue to follow.
Return of the Monk
After sitting out the past two games due to head coach Doug Christie’s decision to give Keon Ellis more playing time, the former Sixth Man of the Year runner-up checked in to a massive ovation with 4:45 to go in the third quarter as the Kings faced a double-digit deficit.
Christie hinted at potential mid-game changes during his pregame press conference, and it took until the third quarter of Sunday’s game for the rookie head coach to make the switch.
“Yeah, there are a lot of challenges. You can’t play everybody. It’s just the nature of the NBA,” Christie said of the Monk-Ellis situation during his pregame press conference. “This isn’t a participation; this is professional sports. And right now we have a log jam, but everybody’s in play. I mean, if someone isn’t playing great, there’s a really good chance that someone’s going to play.
“If someone isn’t playing to our standard of competitiveness, of all the different things that we value, then obviously, there’s a strong possibility that they’re going to come out of the game.”
Ellis, who has been a hot topic in trade talks ahead of February’s NBA trade deadline, committed a costly foul as time expired at the end of the first half, fouling Rockets guard Reed Sheppard on a three-point attempt. Sheppard made all three free-throws to put Sacramento in an 11-point hole, and Monk took Ellis’ spot in the rotation during the second half.
Another Double-Double For The Rookie
Sacramento Kings rookie center Maxime Raynaud finished the game with 12 points and 14 boards over 37 minutes before fouling out in overtime, but not before joining an exclusive list of first-year Sacramento Kings to post three or more consecutive points-rebounds double-doubles:
Maxime Raynaud (2025-26)
Marvin Bagley III (2018-19)
DeMarcus Cousins (2010-11)
Jason Thompson (2008-09)
Darius Songaila (2003-04)
Brian Grant (1994-95)
Lionel Simmons (1990-91)
Sacramento Kings Injury Updates
Center Domantas Sabonis, who has been sidelined since November 16th due to a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, will miss at least another 4-5 weeks of action.
Guard Zach LaVine (moderate left ankle sprain) will be re-evaluated next week. LaVine missed his third-straight game on Sunday.
Center Drew Eubanks (left thumb avulsion fracture) will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will continue their holiday homestand on Tuesday night against the powerhouse Detroit Pistons, who currently hold the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Last season, the Kings and Pistons split the two-game series, with Sacramento claiming the most recent matchup on April 7th in Detroit by a final of 127-117.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Detroit Pistons action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 7:00 pm PT tip-off from Golden 1 Center.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Tuesday, December 23rd vs. Detroit Pistons – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, December 27th – vs. Dallas Mavericks – 2:00 PM PT
Sunday, December 28th – @ Los Angeles Lakers – 6:30 PM PT
Tuesday, December 30th – @ Los Angeles Clippers – 8:00 PM PT
Thursday, January 1st – vs. Boston Celtics – 7:00 PM PT
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