SACRAMENTO – What began as a day of hope and promise when Kings general manager Scott Perry spoke optimistically about the team’s future ended in another disappointing and heartbreaking loss for Sacramento .
That’s 11 losses in a row for the Kings, their longest skid since dropping 12 consecutive games during the 1997-98 NBA season. That’s not far off from the longest losing streak in the Sacramento era (13) and three away from the franchise record of 14 consecutive losses.
This one kind of hurt a little more than the previous 10 because the Kings controlled most of the first half and trailed by only two points heading into the fourth quarter before it all fell apart, ending with a 114-111 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dylan Cardwell paced the Kings with his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Malik Monk was spot-on from deep and scored 18 points, Devin Carter had 14 points while Maxime Raynaud had 12 points and five rebounds.
The Kings’ longstanding misery against the Clippers also continued. Sacramento hasn’t defeated its Southern California rivals since April 2024, a stretch of six straight games.
Tough part was that the night began encouragingly.
Monk got warm from the perimeter early and got the Kings rolling with his 3-point shooting, helping Sacramento to a 10-point lead in the first quarter.
Things flipped in the second quarter as the Clippers shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and repeatedly got to the foul line, making 12 of 15 free throws to get within 49-48 at the half.
Kawhi Leonard and John Collins combined for 17 points in the third quarter to help the Clippers take a two-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Here are the takeaways from Friday:
MONK MANIA
The Kings’ best player off the bench proved the organization made a wise decision in not trading him at the deadline.
A former NBA Sixth Man of the Year runner-up who routinely provides an instant boost when he checks in, Monk came off the bench midway through the first quarter against the Clippers and lit it up from deep to give the Kings some breathing room. He made a trio of 3-pointers over the last two minutes, including a banked-in shot where Monk thought he’d been fouled but no call was made.
Monk also made a nice play defensively, leaping to knock a pass away when the Clippers tried to get the ball in the paint.
Perry said before the game that he wasn’t going to make a deal just to make one. Keeping Monk might be the best decision that the Kings’ brass made.
NO SABONIS AGAIN
Sacramento’s oft-injured big man was back on the bench again, this time with lower back pains. That opened the door for Raynaud and Cardwell to get in some much-needed playing time.
Perry wants to use the remainder of the season to fully evaluate the roster so any additional time Raynaud and Cardwell get is more opportunities for the front office to get a clearer picture on the two.
Not that either man needs to do much more to leave a bigger impression on the franchise.
Raynaud, a second-round pick, has been developing at a nice pace all season and continued to show promise against the Clippers. The Kings’ 7-foot-1 rookie center did a little bit of everything and was very active defensively, coming up with two blocked shots.
Cardwell has also been building quite a bit of momentum for himself this season, and Friday’s game was his first since signing a standard NBA contract. HE celebrated with the second double-double of his young career.
In previous seasons a Sabonis absence might have been too big a hurdle for the Kings to overcome but the combination of Raynaud and Cardwell held up for the most part.
HUNTER SEARCHING FOR RHYTHM
Two games into his Kings career, De’Andre Hunter has yet to find a comfort zone in Doug Christie’s offense.
Coming off an inauspicious debut with Sacramento when he had nine points on 3-of-11 shooting to go with two rebounds and one assist, the veteran small forward suffered through another rough evening at Golden 1 Center.
Hunter scored six points in 24 minutes and made only 1 of 8 shot attempts (0-for-5 from deep), scoring the bulk of his points on free throws (4-for-4).
Hunter’s night ended prematurely when he got poked in his left eye midway through the third quarter and did not return.
Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast