Citizens took to social media to report an unusual purple glow in the skies above Sacramento on Sunday night.
The reason for the rare sighting?
The Kings lit the beam.
Malik Monk scored a season-high 30 points and Russell Westbrook recorded a triple-double, leading the Kings to a 126-110 victory over the Chicago Bulls before an announced crowd of 15,022 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42), Sacramento Kings center Dylan Cardwell (32) and Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) light the beam after beating the Chicago Bulls at Golden 1 in Sacramento on Sunday. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com
“It always feels good to get a win at home, especially in front of this crowd,” Monk said. “I don’t even know our record – something terrible – but as bad as we are they always give us a lot of energy. They’re always cheering for us no matter how bad we are, so kudos to the fans.”
Rookie center Maxime Raynaud had 26 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Kings (15-50), who had not won a game at home since beating the Washington Wizards on Jan. 16.
“It felt amazing and I thought the way we did it was even better with 33 assists, sharing the ball, defending hard, playing for one another,” Raynaud said. “It was really awesome.”
Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) dunks during a game at Golden 1 in Sacramento on Sunday, March 8, 2026. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com
Russell Westbrook, the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 207, recorded his fourth of the season with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.
Kings coach Doug Christie said Westbrook was instrumental in helping the Kings record 33 assists with only four turnovers while outscoring the Bulls 68-36 on points in the paint.
“Russ was spectacular tonight,” Christie said. “He controlled the ballgame. He found people in the pocket. He just continues to amaze that he can go out and produce the way he does.”
Kings forward DeMar DeRozan missed his first game of the season after being ruled out due to illness.
Collin Sexton came of the bench to score 28 points for the Bulls (26-38), who have lost 16 of 19 after going 23-22 to start the season. Matas Buzelis had 20 points and eight rebounds.
Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton (2) reacts during a game at Golden 1 in Sacramento on Sunday. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com
The Kings led 30-25 at the end of the first quarter. They went up by 15 late in the second quarter and led 65-51 at the halftime break.
Sacramento shot 47.2% in the first half while holding Chicago to 38.5%. The Kings repeatedly attacked in the Bulls inside, amazing a huge 36-14 advantage on points in the paint.
The Kings went up by 17 on a layup by Westbrook early in the third quarter. The Bulls staged a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to nine with 2:55 to play in the third quarter, but the Kings led 104-89 going into the fourth.
The Bulls got within 10 again on a couple of occasions in the fourth quarter, but each time the Kings came up with big baskets to stem the tide and secure the victory.
Plowden starts for DeRozan
With DeRozan out of the lineup, Daeqwon Plowden started for the second time in his career.
Plowden made his presence felt early, exploding to the basket for a dunk before hitting a 3-pointer later in the first quarter. He finished with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Plowden’s previous start came in a 132-126 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 7. In that game, he had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting with six rebounds and four assists.
Up next
The Kings will entertain the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday in the fourth game of their five-game homestand.
The Pacers (15-48) had lost eight in a row and 12 of 14 going into Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Pacers have the second-worst record in the NBA, 1 ½ games better than Sacramento.
Indiana has been at the center of the tanking discussion in the NBA after being fined $100,000 for violating the league’s player participation policy. The Pacers’ first-round draft pick is protected 1-4 and 10-30 as part of a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
This story was originally published March 8, 2026 at 9:10 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.