Precious Achiuwa has been a nice addition since signing with the Sacramento Kings in early November, but he couldn’t prevent the team from hitting another dubious milestone.
Achiuwa matched his season high with 29 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out a season-high five assists in a 133-123 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The Kings suffered their 50th loss of the season, a mark they have reached 19 times in 41 seasons since moving to Sacramento in 1985.
“We’re all frustrated,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “We want to win games. There’s just the short stints where you drop the rope. You don’t box out. You allow second-chance points. You close out with your hand down.”
Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie walks on down the court in the fourth quarter after calling a timeout against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center on Thursday. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com
Zion Williams had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Pelicans (20-44), who have won five of their last seven games.
Trey Murphy III had 21 points and seven rebounds for New Orleans. Saddiq Bey scored 20 points.
Russell Westbrook had 19 points and 10 assists for the Kings (14-50). Malik Monk scored 18 points. Drew Eubanks had 15 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan scored 15 points to pass Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry for 19th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Eubanks acknowledged the team’s frustrations following the game.
“Obviously, it’s been tough for everybody for different reasons all around,” Eubanks said. “We’re just trying to find some consistency with our concepts and our principles. It’s tough when guys in and out of the rotation, and this time of year we’re not practicing very much. We’re just trying to get on the same page. I know we have good spirited guys on the team. We’re just trying to put it all together, but it takes time.”
The Kings led 30-26 after shooting 55.6% in the first quarter. They trailed 57-53 after getting outscored 41-33 in the second.
The situation got worse for Sacramento midway though the third quarter. The Kings led by one with 5:55 remaining, but the Pelicans staged a 22-4 run to take a 102-85 lead.
The Kings came back to get within seven on a basket by Eubanks with 2:44 to play, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Murphy and Herb Jones sealed Sacramento’s fate.
More on Achiuwa
Achiuwa, 26, went unsigned last summer after averaging 7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds over his first five seasons in the NBA. After losing five of their first seven games, the Kings signed Achiuwa to a one-year, $2.5 million deal in hopes of adding defensive frontcourt depth, defensive versatility and rebounding.
Sacramento Kings forward Precious Achiuwa (9) makes a basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard Saddiq Bey (41) during an NBA game at Golden 1 Center on Thursday. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com
Achiuwa has proven to be a steal for Sacramento. He averaged 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in February, up from his season averages of 8.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.9 steals. In the seven games leading up to Thursday’s contest, Achiuwa averaged 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds.
“There’s a level of energy that he brings, and when he does that on a consistent basis, he changes a lot of different things,” Christie said. “He’s a grown man, rebounds, driving, running the floor, his physicality on defense. Maybe the biggest thing was I didn’t really realize was how versatile he is defensively. He’s guarded point guards, but he can also guard (centers).”
Second 10-day deal for Hayes
The Kings signed Killian Hayes to a second 10-day contract on Thursday.
Hayes appeared in five games during his first 10-day deal with Sacramento, averaging 2.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He shot just 14.8% but demonstrated his abilities as a playmaker and defender.
Up next
The Kings will play the third game in this five-game homestand when they play host to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
The Bulls (25-37) have lost 15 of their last 17 games after going 23-22 to start the season. They are led by Josh Giddey, who is averaging 17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.4 assists.
This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 11:09 PM.
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Jason Anderson is The Sacramento Bee’s Kings beat writer. He is a Sacramento native and a graduate of Fresno State, where he studied journalism and college basketball under the late Jerry Tarkanian.