Anything can happen on any given night in the NBA, and the Sacramento Kings gave us a reminder of that on Sunday.
As miserable as the start to the 2025-26 regular season has been for Sacramento, they defied the odds by erasing a 14-point deficit with less than ten minutes remaining against the Houston Rockets, forcing overtime, and eventually securing a thrilling 125-124 win in overtime in what may be the Kings’ win of the year.
Sacramento (7-22) entered play against the Rockets with the worst record in the Western Conference, while Houston sat within two games of the second-seed San Antonio Spurs in the standings.
However, the Kings came through in crunch time thanks to clutch triples from Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder, the latter of which handed Sacramento a one-point lead that ended up acting as the difference in the final tally.
Throughout the course of an NBA season, teams will lose games they should have won, and they’ll win games that many think they should have lost. Sunday’s matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets was widely viewed as a scheduled loss for the Beam Team.
Both teams were coming off back-to-backs: the Kings lost to Portland at Golden 1 Center on Saturday, and the Rockets fell to the Nuggets in Denver.
Although Houston held a lead for nearly 40 minutes of Sunday’s 53-minute contest, they lost to a Sacramento team that had lost nine of their past ten games, including five straight.
When asked for his thoughts on the tough loss, Houston head coach Ime Udoka said his team “didn’t deserve to win” before taking a subtle jab at the “lesser opponent” Kings:
“We didn’t deserve to win”
-Ime Udoka after the #Rockets 125-124 OT loss to the Kings.
It’s the 3rd overtime loss on the road trip for the @HoustonRockets. The trip continues Tuesday at the Clippers. pic.twitter.com/L4Z4wv3BSN
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) December 22, 2025
“Our approach wasn’t right. Had a game yesterday that we were much more motivated for. We didn’t really deserve to win that,” Udoka said following the OT loss. “I gotta do a better job of getting them motivated in games against lesser opponents.”
At first glance, Udoka’s comment looks like a slight against the Kings, but it’s hard to blame him when you look at Sacramento’s record.
The Sacramento Kings have been a punching bag for opposing teams this season, losing by an average of 10.5 points per game (second-worst point differential in the NBA).
Sacramento may be a “lesser opponent,” but they still roster a bevy of solid talent that can challenge a team on any night.
Keegan Murray scored 26 points and had his three-point shot working. Rookie big man Maxime Raynaud had another double-double. Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook combined to score 45 points. DeMar DeRozan had 27 points of his own.
The Kings executed better in crunch time and capitalized on the Rockets’ mistakes in the fourth and OT. In the end, for a team like the Rockets with championship aspirations, it’s more about looking in the mirror than punching down at a “lesser opponent.”
More on the Sacramento Kings’ win over the Houston Rockets
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.
Kings snap five-game skid, beat Rockets thanks to OT heroics
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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