Coming off one of their best wins of the season, the Sacramento Kings laid an egg against the Detroit Pistons, suffering a 136-127 loss.
It’s the ninth occasion where they’ve allowed 130 or more points.
To put it simply, the Pistons proved why they’re first in the Eastern Conference, and Sacramento displayed why they’re at the bottom of the West. Trailing by 13 at the end of one, the Kings were never able to recover.
DeMar DeRozan had a stellar offensive showing, recording 23 of his 37 points in the first half, but it was their defense that disappointed.
Cade Cunningham (23) and Jalen Duren (23), whose pick-and-roll is the second most common play in the NBA, tore them apart as Detroit shot 53.7 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep. Harris also added 24 points.
The Kings head into Christmas with a sour feeling after falling to a lowly 7-23 record this season.
Injury Report
Sacramento
Domantas Sabonis (partially torn left meniscus) – OUT
Zach LaVine (moderate left ankle sprain) – OUT
Drew Eubanks (left thumb avulsion fracture) – OUT
Devin Carter (left ankle sprain) – OUT
Detroit
Ron Holland II (left knee sprain) – OUT
Sacramento Kings vs. Detroit Pistons Game Notes
Having played in Portland the night prior, the Pistons entered the game with a rest disadvantage. A few of Sacramento’s seven victories this season came playing against teams on the second night of a back-to-back.
Sometimes that comes to fruition in the opening minutes, other times later in the action. On Monday, Detroit didn’t sputter to start.
Playing to their typical brand of basketball, eight of their first 11 points came inside the paint. But the Kings were keeping up as DeRozan and Achiuwa finished plays.
Rookie two-way center Dylan Cardwell was the first substitution for Kings head coach Doug Christie, but he didn’t replace Maxime Raynaud. Instead, Achiuwa headed to the bench as they employed a lineup with both rookie bigs, a new look for Sacramento.
It was a fitting moment to do so, considering the Pistons’ lineup featured both Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, even if it was only a roughly two-minute stretch.
Additionally, the second unit looked similar. Keon Ellis remained in the rotation rather than Malik Monk, getting his shot blocked seconds after entering. Christie responded by promptly calling a timeout in an attempt to slow Detroit’s 10-2 run that included a few too many easy dunks/layups.
Thirty-three-year-old Tobias Harris had three dunks in the opening quarter. Detroit’s run had extended to 19-6 as they held a 37-24 lead over the host Kings.
Twenty-four of their tally were in the paint as the Pistons converted 64 percent (16/25) of their first-quarter looks. Factor in their 4/8 from distance, and it was an unideal formula for Sacramento.
DeRozan led all scorers with 11 points while Cunningham managed 10 points and four assists.
Deebo makes the second chance count 🙌 pic.twitter.com/QRMG6PdJli
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 24, 2025
Starting in the second, Achiuwa was featured at center. Unfortunately for them, poor pick-and-roll defense allowed momentum to continue building against them.
The 19-point deficit (49-30) came quickly as the game at Golden 1 Center was slowly draining. With less than six minutes to play in the second, Monk made his first appearance, which assumedly directly correlated with Ellis’s poor first four-minute stint.
The former Sixth Man of the Year runner-up showed his value early with five quick points, including a heads-up play to advance and chase the ball off an inbound before finishing with a triple.
His defensive shortcomings were still prevalent, but his ability to push the pace and create an offensive flow was evident. Not enough to bring them back into the action, however. As Christie often points out, they needed to get stops but weren’t able to consistently.
Headed into halftime trailing 75-58, Detroit outscored the Kings 44-24 in the paint and also converted seven triples compared to Sacramento’s three.
DeRozan worked his way up to 23 points and five assists on 7/10 shooting and 9/9 from the free-throw line, but was practically the only positive for his squad that half. Cunningham (16), Harris (14), Stewart (10), and Ausar Thompson (11) all had surpassed double digits.
Murray, who came into the night second in the NBA in minutes per game, was nowhere to be seen to start the second half as Clifford replaced him in the lineup.
A few minutes later, the team announced that Murray would not return with a right calf injury.
Keegan Murray (right calf) will NOT return tonight, per the Kings.
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 24, 2025
Putting together a 16-4 run that began at the end of the second nearly allowed Sacramento to bring it back within single digits. Still, Detroit punched back by finding its way to the basket and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities.
On multiple occasions, the Kings chipped away at their deficit only to allow an opposing run that kept them from closing the gap. Achiuwa poured in triples, converting his first three attempts from range.
No, Murray meant added responsibility for him along with Clifford, Westbrook, and a heavier reliance on smaller lineups such as Schroder, Westbrook, and Monk sharing the floor in the third.
Despite tallying 39 points of their own in the third, a corner three from Harris as time expired caused them to lose the frame.
Golden 1 Center’s scoreboard read 115-97 as the final 12 minutes began. Capitalizing on the rest advantage was past the point of return; it needed a Christmas miracle in the fourth quarter to become competitive again.
Going even in the first half of the frame didn’t bode well, but chaining together a few stops seemed to resuscitate the G1C crowd. Sacramento’s closing grouping of Westbrook, Clifford, DeRozan, Achiuwa, and Cardwell got out in transition, putting together a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 10 (127-117) with 3:39 to play.
A few turnovers and offensive fouls later, the Kings had officially suffered a 136-127 loss.
It’s the ninth occasion where they’ve allowed 130 or more points.
To put it simply, the Pistons proved why they’re first in the Eastern Conference, and Sacramento displayed why they’re at the bottom of the West. Trailing by 13 at the end of one, the Kings were never able to recover.
DeMar DeRozan had a stellar offensive showing, recording 23 of his 37 points in the first half, but it was their defense that disappointed.
Cade Cunningham (23) and Jalen Duren (23), whose pick-and-roll is the second most common play in the NBA, tore them apart as Detroit shot 53.7 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep. Harris also added 24 points.
The Kings head into Christmas with a sour feeling after falling to a lowly 7-23 record this season.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
“This job is a different animal,” Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie said before their Monday night matchup.
Coming into the night, the previous Sixth Man of the Year contender, Malik Monk, had been a healthy scratch in two straight showings. Zach LaVine was also inactive during that time due to a moderate left ankle sprain.
Given that Monk had been averaging 24 minutes per night before that, there was confusion as to why he wasn’t on the floor. That sense isn’t new to the Kings, who have been in a similar situation with guard Keon Ellis.
Read More:
Doug Christie: Malik Monk, Keon Ellis rotation decision is ‘nothing personal’
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
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
Friday, January 2nd @ Phoenix Suns – 6:00 PM PT
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