SACRAMENTO – The Kings are sinking and doing it quickly.

Three seasons after ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history, Sacramento is headed in the opposite direction with a target on the No. 1 overall draft pick.

Saturday’s 132-126 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden 1 Center was the Kings’ 12th in a row, one shy of the Sacramento-era record for futility and two shy of the franchise mark.

At their current pace, the Kings (12-42) are on track for just 18 wins, which would be their fewest since the 2008-09 NBA season.

Kings rookie Nique Clifford saved some respectability with a career-high 30 points. Russell Westbrook scored 21 points, Daeqwon Plowden had 16 points and six rebounds, Maxime Raynaud added 14 points and seven rebounds while DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points.

The Kings haven’t won since Dec. 27 when they beat the the Dallas Mavericks at home, 113-107.

This one was close most of the night and got particularly tight at the end. There were seven lead changes over the final six minutes.

The Cavaliers took a 128-126 lead with 35 seconds left following a pair of free throws by Donovan Mitchell. Westbrook missed a pair of 3-pointers after that, then James Harden sealed the win at the free throw line.

Plowden had a big first quarter to get the Kings rolling. The second-year guard made three of his first four shots and snagged three offensive boards as Sacramento grabbed a 31-25 advantage.

The Cavaliers surged back to take a slim lead into the break before the Kings warmed up and put up 38 points in the third quarter to lead 96-93.

Here are the takeaways from Saturday:

Tanking, or Time for Youngsters?

General manager Scott Perry and coach Doug Christie were united in saying the Kings wouldn’t be tanking the rest of the 2025-26 NBA season, but Saturday’s game sure had that type of feel to it.

Zach LaVine sat out with a sore pinky, while De’Andre Hunter and Malik Monk were held out due to illness. Sacramento already was without Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray, leaving Christie little to work with.

Clifford, the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, started for the eighth time in 50 games, while second-year guard Plowden got his first career start.

The only Kings player who wasn’t on the injury report and did not play was back-up center Drew Eubanks.

Don’t I Know You?

Six days after being traded away to Cleveland, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder returned to Golden 1 Center with the Cavaliers.

Both players were greeted with applause when they each checked into the game, with Ellis receiving the louder of the ovations for obvious reasons. Ellis played in 196 games over four seasons with Sacramento and was without question a huge fan favorite before he was dealt away, while Schroder’s stay in Sacramento lasted 40 games.

Neither player had much of an impact. Ellis scored seven points, nailing a 3-pointer off an assist from Schroder. Schroder, on the other hand, scored seven points with four assists and had shots clocked by Clifford and Devin Carter.

Carter Seeing More Action

Carter has been getting a lot more playing time over the past week, and has done a good job taking advantage of his opportunities.

Against the Cavaliers, Carter had 12 points, four rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes. It was the third consecutive game in double figures for Carter, the longest stretch of his young NBA career.

With the Kings in obvious look-to-the-future mode, it’s smart of the brass to get as good a read on Carter as they can. He entered the league with a lot of hype as the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft but has spent much of his time bouncing back and forth between the G League.

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