The Sacramento Kings came into Memphis Monday night looking to end their franchise’s 16-game losing streak, and they did so, defeating the Grizzlies 123-114.

Precious Achiuwa had one of his best games since joining the Sacramento Kings last offseason as he recorded 22 points and 12 rebounds on 10/15 shooting.

Taking advantage of their smaller opposing lineups, Maxime Raynaud also impressed with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

That pairing was responsible for 11 of the Kings’ 13 offensive rebounds. Tallying 22 second-chance points as a result, along with 64 points in the paint, was the difference.

Just as the Grizzlies nearly recovered late, Daeqwon Plowden showed up big, ending his night with 19 points on 6/12 shooting, including 4/9 from beyond the arc with two timely conversions late.

But it was Russell Westbrook who led all scorers with 25 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.

Sacramento Kings @ Memphis Grizzlies Games Notes

Of all the basketball games (both in the NBA and collegiately) taking place tonight, the Kings’ facing off against the Grizzlies was certainly one of them.

Sacramento came into Monday night’s action without Domantas Sabonis (knee), Zach LaVine (finger), De’Andre Hunter (eye), Devin Carter (back), and Dylan Cardwell (ankle). New two-way addition Patrick Baldwin Jr. was inactive, but 10-day signing Killian Hayes made his debut.

For Memphis, a team that has sold off some of their all-star caliber traded over the last two seasons, they were missing Ja Morant (elbow), Zach Edey (ankle), Ty Jerome (illness), Kentavoius-Caldwell Pope (finger), Santi Aldama (knee), Brandon Clarke (calf), Kyle Anderson (knee), and Cedric Coward (knee).

That’s a total of five inactive for the Kings and eight for the home side. Given that reality, the Grizzlies implemented a smaller lineup with 6’8 Olivier-Maxence Prosper starting at center against Maxime Raynaud.

It seemed like the Kings’ head coach, Doug Christie, made sure his side was aware of and actively exploiting their superior size. Keegan Murray and DeMar DeRozan attempted to power through smaller defenders, but their opponents used their speed to create space on the perimeter and race to the paint.

Fairly even halfway through the opening frame, Raynaud, being the only center on the floor, continued to grow more apparent and advantageous.

Helping his side jump out to a 17-12 lead, the rookie big man made his first four shots (8 points) largely as a finisher in the pick-and-roll or by finishing offensive rebounds.

With roughly four minutes left in the quarter, Hayes made his first appearance with Sacramento. He checked in alongside Nique Clifford and Malik Monk as the trio replaced Westbrook, DeRozan, and Raynaud.

Killian checks in for the first time as a Sacramento King 👑 pic.twitter.com/3sGFFsbcgx

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 24, 2026

Rather than going to Drew Eubanks, Christie chose to match the small-ball look, with Precious Achiuwa functioning as their big. Having played his college ball at Memphis, he got the chance to show out in familiar territory.

As Raynaud did, Achuiwa attacked the basket with minimal resistance. A key piece in the Kings’ ending the first quarter on a 16-7 run, those two had combined for 14 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive).

Achiuwa’s dominance continued early in the second as he increased his individual tally to 14 points (7/9 FG) and 10 rebounds (six offensive).

But the Grizzlies adjusted, heading into the second, applying significant ball pressure to a Kings lineup that lacked a traditional point guard as they relied on the duo of Monk and Clifford to bring the ball up.

Unfortunately, that led to a slew of consecutive turnovers that forfeited their lead in a hurry. Putting together a 12-4 run, the Grizzlies brought it back within striking distance.

The remainder of the first half was sloppy on both sides, and the Kings headed into the break with a narrow 63-61 lead. Forty of their points came in the paint, but they conceded 38 in the same fashion. Talling 20 second chance points on 10 offensive rebounds was essential at that point.

Coming out of halftime, it seemed like the Kings’ offensive game plan hadn’t changed much, and there was no real reason for it to. Their frontcourt continued to wreak havoc on the glass while finishing through and over smaller defenders.

Precious pushing the pace 😤

Highlight of the Game presented by @RoseRemodeling pic.twitter.com/c0j0qTy94Z

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 24, 2026

Their veteran guards, Westbrook and DeRozan, began to get in on the action as well after a quieter first half. Westbrook intelligently recognized his moments to drive compared to when it was best to play it patiently before feeding a roller.

DeRozan went about his business in the way everyone has grown to expect, capitalizing on handsy young defenders and forcing his way to the free-throw line.

But it was triples from Javon Small that kept Memphis within striking range. Clifford was the only Kings’ player to convert from triple in the quarter, as they went 1/8 as a collective.

Both sides continued to struggle with turnovers, as there were 11 total in the third frame. Leading 90-89 with 12 minutes to play, Sacramento’s defensive pressure picked up.

It led to more fouls than they would like, with Hayes recording five fouls in roughly 10 minutes of court time. But a 10-0 run that was led by Daeqwon Plowden, Monk, and topped off with a Westbrook corner triple gave them their largest lead of the night (104-92) with 8:45 remaining.

Maintaining that arms-length for the next few minutes, the Grizzlies had one last chance to respond. They put together an 8-2 run to bring it back within seven (108-101).

But an unlikely hero showed up for Sacramento as Plowden knocked down his second and third long-range looks of the night. Westbrook made another not long after, leading into a timeout.

RUSS 👌👌👌 pic.twitter.com/Uaoky8ATc5

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 24, 2026

Taking care of business in the final three minutes (though not lacking a few more scares than they would’ve liked), the Kings franchise-worst 16-game losing skid finally came to an end as they defeated the Grizzlies 123-114.

Achiuwa had one of his best games since joining the Sacramento Kings last offseason as he recorded 22 points and 12 rebounds on 10/15 shooting.

Taking advantage of their smaller opposing lineups, Raynaud also impressed with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

That pairing was responsible for 11 of the Kings’ 13 offensive rebounds. Tallying 22 second-chance points as a result, along with 64 points in the paint, was the difference.

Just as the Grizzlies nearly recovered late, Plowden showed up big, ending his night with 19 points on 6/12 shooting, including 4/9 from beyond the arc with two timely conversions late.

But it was Westbrook who led all scorers with 25 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.

Next up, Sacramento’s five-game road trip continues Wednesday afternoon with a 5 p.m. tipoff against the Houston Rockets.

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season

Monday, February 23rd @ Memphis Grizzlies – 5:00 PM PT
Wednesday, February 25th @ Houston Rockets – 5:00 PM PT
Thursday, February 26th @ Dallas Mavericks – 5:30 PM PT
Sunday, March 1st @ Los Angeles Lakers – 6:30 PM PT
Tuesday, March 3rd vs. Phoenix Suns – 8:00 PM PT

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