The Sacramento Kings have a bad habit of one atrocious quarter per game. That flaw plagued them on Wednesday night at the Toyota Centre against the Houston Rockets.
Mainly due to being outscored 36-19 in the third quarter, Sacramento suffered a 121-95 loss.
Continuing to get more minutes in the absence of Domantas Sabonis (meniscus), rookie big man Maxime Raynaud had a career night with 25 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 10/15 shooting, including 2/2 from three-point range.
Malik Monk came alive in the second half, where he managed 21 of his 25 final tally, but it was the Rockets’ 78 points in the paint and 20 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds that made the difference. Adding 20 from the free-throw line helped too.
Sacramento’s (5-17) losing streak extends to four while Houston (13-6) moves closer to the second-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
Kings @ Rockets Game Notes
Rolling out the same starting lineup as the last few games, Sacramento head coach Doug Christie assigned Keegan Murray to Kevin Durant.
Turnovers have plagued the Kings at times, and that was apparent early Wednesday night. Committing five turnovers within the first three minutes of play, they were fortunate only to face a narrow deficit.
Rookie Maxime Raynaud was the Kings’ first substitution, replacing Drew Eubanks. With what seemed like increased aggression, he was finishing plays left and right.
Christie emphasised the importance of young players embracing their opportunities with confidence rather than being timid. There’s just more to learn when reviewing the film, and that was easily the case on Wednesday afternoon.
Raynaud managed 12 points and two rebounds on 5/7 shooting, including 2/2 from three, in the first quarter.
Maxime Raynaud in Q1
🔥 12 PTS
🔥 2-2 3-PT FG
🔥 2 REB https://t.co/8cqEUdTnAE pic.twitter.com/7xsgZ5SWsM
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 4, 2025
Meanwhile, Houston’s efficiency was lacking, and they made up for it with offensive rebounds and points in the paint.
Leading Sacramento 28-26 after 12 minutes, 22 of the Rockets’ points came from inside the paint. Twenty-two of their tally came from within the painted area.
The sluggish offence continued into the second frame. Amen Thompson generated paint touches by running in transition, attempting to set up his teammates.
Meanwhile, it was DeRozan’s turn for Sacramento. In a game that featured multiple of the top-scoring players in NBA history, DeRozan’s shotmaking popped off the screen.
Yet, his teammate Westbrook was the one to progress higher up the all-time scoring counter, surpassing the great Tim Duncan.
𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃 👑
With his field goal at the 7:03 mark of Q2 tonight at HOU, Russell Westbrook passed Tim Duncan (26,496) for 17th on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaders list.
👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/LFhG0U5ssl
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 4, 2025
His bucket was mixed into a DeRozan flurry as he contributed 10 points in the second. Combine that with Sacramento cleaning up their turnover issues, and they went into halftime with a 52-51 lead.
The point in the paint had flipped as well, with the Kings (16) doubling Houston’s (8) output in the frame. Westbrook and Raynaud were responsible for all of their made triples, adding four between them.
Quarter three followed a similar arc with a hectic beginning before it became the Raynaud show after he entered. His aforementioned increased aggression hadn’t waned; he attempted and converted floaters around the rim.
It all went downhill for the Kings in a hurry. Playing through Durant and Sengun, while their whole roster made a dent on the offensive glass, they were slicing through Sacramento’s defence with little resistance.
Honestly, it’s what everyone has grown to expect from this year’s version of the Kings. More often than not, they have one atrocious quarter that all but eliminates their odds of winning the contest.
On Wednesday, it was the third quarter, as Houston gave their home crowd plenty to cheer about en route to a 36-19 win. No single Rockets player managed double digits in the quarter; instead, it was the collective.
Once again, points in the paint were a problem as Sacramento conceded 26 in the third.
KD RIM ROCKERS 💥 pic.twitter.com/BwlPjmQKr8
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 4, 2025
Monk seemed to be the only one converting for his side as the Kings went 8/24 in the quarter.
Heading into the final 12 minutes, trailing 87-71 was an unfortunately familiar feeling for the 25-26 Kings. Going even in the frame wasn’t going to be enough; Sacramento was going to have to come out on fire.
Well, they didn’t, at least not until about six or seven minutes remained. Monk rained in more triples off the dribble, but without stops, they weren’t making much of a dent.
Christie elected to roll out a bench-heavy unit for a majority of the frame aside from Murray. He, Monk, Keon Ellis, Nique Clifford, and Raynaud played most of the closing minutes.
The rookie Frenchman continued to raise his final tally, showcasing his dynamic half-court offensive skill set. While it was an encouraging sign for his future, it wasn’t nearly enough to mount a comeback.
Mainly due to being outscored 36-19 in the third quarter, Sacramento suffered a 121-95 loss.
Continuing to get more minutes in the absence of Domantas Sabonis (meniscus), rookie big man Maxime Raynaud had a career night with 25 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 10/15 shooting, including 2/2 from three-point range.
Malik Monk came alive in the second half, where he managed 21 of his 25 final tally, but it was the Rockets’ 78 points in the paint and 20 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds that made the difference. Adding 20 from the free-throw line helped too.
Sacramento’s (5-17) losing streak extends to four while Houston (13-6) moves closer to the second-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
The Kings have two games remaining on their three-game road trip, next up coming Saturday night against the Heat. Having a few nights off in Miami before that matchup should add an interesting wrinkle to that one.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
The 2025-26 Sacramento Kings are in an ideal spot, with an older roster that sits near the bottom of the standings at 5-16.
While they largely lack young players with upside, rookie Nique Clifford (23) may be the current highlight — aside from Keegan Murray (25).
The recent 24th overall pick has seen the floor in every game he’s been available for this season. In 17 showings, Clifford has averaged 3.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 15.8 minutes.
Partially due to previous absences from Malik Monk and others, the rookie attempted 5.9 shots in his first eight games, but that tally has dipped to 1.4 in the last nine games.
Read More:
Doug Christie encouraging Nique Clifford to be aggressive
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Saturday, December 6th – @ Miami Heat – 5:00 PM PT
Monday, December 8th – @ Indiana Pacers – 4:00 PM PT
Thursday, December 11th – vs. Denver Nuggets – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, December 14th – @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 4:00 PM PT
Thursday, December 18th – @ Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PT
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