The Sacramento Kings entered Easter Sunday having played .500 basketball since the end of February, but crossing paths with a motivated Los Angeles Clippers team brought them back to reality.
Los Angeles arrived in Sacramento just a half-game back of the eighth seed in the Western Conference standings with five games to go, meaning the opportunity to avoid the single-elimination ninth-vs-tenth-seed Play-In game was right in front of them–and they didn’t let up.
Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers offense jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back en route to a 138-109 win at Golden 1 Center that snapped the Kings’ two-game winning streak.
With the loss, Sacramento (21-58) kept pace with the Utah Jazz for the fourth spot in the NBA Draft Lottery standings as both teams remained gridlocked with three games left to play apiece.
Kobe with our 20th (!!!) three-pointer of the night 👌👀 pic.twitter.com/iONcOR255X
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 6, 2026
Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers takeaways
Los Angeles entered the night playing for Play-In seeding implications, and the urgency was evident during the first quarter.
The Clippers poured in 42 points while shooting seven-of-14 from beyond the arc during the opening frame to take an early double-digit lead.
Kawhi Leonard scored 15 points during the first half to lead all scorers, while Daeqwon Plowden (10 points) finished the first half in double-figures, marking the 14th time over the past 15 games that the two-way guard has scored ten points or more.
Los Angeles entered the break with a 12-point lead after scoring 71 points on 56 percent shooting from the field and 10-of-21 (47%) from three-point range.
Things could have been worse for the Kings, but a seven-of-13 (54%) start from long distance kept them within striking distance through two quarters–but then, the second half started.
Cardwell THROWS DOWN the lob from McDermott 💪 pic.twitter.com/yeQgbst6J9
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 6, 2026
The playoff-hopeful Clippers brought the hammer down in the third quarter, pushing the lead to as many as 26 points while holding a once-red-hot Sacramento perimeter offense in check to all but put the game away before the fourth period began.
After shooting over 50 percent from deep during the first half, the Kings missed all 11 of their attempts from three in the third quarter, leaving the door open for Los Angeles as the Clippers finished the period with a 36-20 advantage that brought Sacramento’s deficit past the 30-point mark.
Of course, the Kings’ blowout loss isn’t ideal by any means, but losing games at this point in the season can be a positive for a team like Sacramento, a franchise hoping to land a franchise-altering talent in June’s NBA Draft.
The loss to Los Angeles actually helped the Kings keep pace with the Utah Jazz, who also lost on Sunday night, to remain in the top four of the NBA Draft Lottery standings with three games to go.
Notes
With his field goal at the 7:38 mark of the first quarter, DeMar DeRozan passed Oscar Robertson (26,710) for 16th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
NBA Draft Lottery Update
The NBA Draft Lottery is designed to give the league’s worst teams the best chance at landing the top pick, while discouraging outright tanking.
For a team like the Sacramento Kings, lottery odds come into play only if they miss the playoffs and finish in the bottom 14 of the standings.
The three teams with the worst records each have a 14 percent chance to win the No. 1 overall pick, with odds decreasing incrementally by record.
The NBA Draft Lottery itself only determines the top four picks. After that, selections are ordered by regular-season record.
This system means Sacramento can move up, stay roughly where projected, or slide back—sometimes significantly—depending on how the lottery balls bounce.
It’s why even small differences in late-season standings matter. One extra win can slightly reduce top-pick odds but also protect against a big drop.
Here’s where the Kings stand following Sunday’s action:
Tankathon
Sacramento Kings Injury Updates
Guard Russell Westbrook (right foot soreness) missed Sunday’s game and will be re-evaluated at a later date.
Forward Keegan Murray is progressing in his recovery after suffering a mild left ankle sprain on February 25th. It’s unknown if he will return during the final three games of the regular season.
Guard Zach LaVine (left fifth finger tendon repair) will miss the rest of the season.
Forward De’Andre Hunter (left eye retinal repair) will miss the rest of the season.
Center Domantas Sabonis (left knee meniscus repair) will miss the rest of the season.
Center Drew Eubanks (left hand UCL repair) will miss the rest of the season.
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will travel down I-80 to visit Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
Sacramento and Golden State have split two regular-season matchups thus far, with the Warriors handing the Kings a 137-103 loss at Chase Center on January 9th behind 27 points and 10 assists from Curry.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors 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 downtown San Francisco.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Tuesday, April 7th @ Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, April 10th vs. Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, April 12th @ Portland Trail Blazers – 5:30 PM PT (End of season)
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