After a promising start to their 2025-26 season opener, the Sacramento Kings fell apart in the second half, losing to the Phoenix Suns 116-120. Sacramento was without several key pieces, as All-Star center Domantas Sabonis (hamstring) and wing Keegan Murray (thumb) recover from their respective injuries.
Both injuries occurred relatively recently, with Sabonis popping up on the injury report just last week and Murray injuring his thumb in Sacramento’s preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
It is safe to assume that new coach Doug Christie did not expect to have to reshape his rotation to make up for being without such important pieces right off the bat. Nonetheless, it is worth taking a look at Christie’s rotations and lineup combinations to see what did and did not work.
Coach Christie went with Drew Eubanks in place of the injured Sabonis. This was expected, as Eubanks has worked as the backup since signing with the Kings.
The more interesting choice was always going to be the starter to fill in for Murray, who functions as the team’s only wing with size to guard opposing power forwards. The only options that could approximate Murray from a pure size standpoint would be Dario Saric or Isaac Jones (who was also out on Wednesday night).
From a “play your best player” standpoint, first-round pick Keon Ellis or Nique Clifford made the most sense. Christie went with the latter, starting the new regime’s first draft pick.
tonight’s starting lineup ✋⤵️
👑 Dennis Schröder
👑 Zach LaVine
👑 Nique Clifford
👑 DeMar DeRozan
👑 Drew Eubanks pic.twitter.com/DwY96DU7jl
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 23, 2025
The results were generally positive, with the Schroder/LaVine/Clifford/DeRozan/Eubanks lineup outscoring Phoenix by four points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass. Unfortunately (and unsurprisingly), the lineup looked like one that had not gotten to develop much chemistry, posting a turnover rate of 18.5% – about 5.5% higher than the historical league average.
This will probably improve with time, but it is worth monitoring as the season progresses. Considering the lack of defensive talent on the roster, Sacramento cannot afford to give teams extra possessions via turnovers.
Phoenix’s second-half comeback came from several large runs over an extended period – the first being a 13-2 run in the middle of the third quarter, then a 16-5 run to open the fourth. In total, Sacramento was outscored 40-15 from 7:37 in the third quarter to 5:46 in the fourth.
The beginning of this run came against a Maxime Raynaud and Dario Saric frontcourt, which gave up an 11-2 run in less than three minutes. Raynaud and Saric were both pulled with about 3:30 left in the third quarter and were not seen again. The Kings were on their heels after this initial flurry and were not able to stop the bleeding until over halfway into the fourth quarter.
Oct 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) reacts during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images / William Liang-Imagn Images
Unfortunately, Malik “Pizza Guy” Monk was the one player on the floor for nearly all of this large stretch. This understandably led to his team’s worst minus-nine on the night despite his offensive productivity (19 points on 7-13 from the field, 3-4 from three). DeMar DeRozan was also in to end the third and begin the fourth, but still ended as a plus-nine, speaking to just how well things went in his other stints.
If you predicted that two-way center Dylan Cardwell would be closing the opening night game out, (1) no, you didn’t, liar, and (2) could you please come with me next time I go to a poker table in Las Vegas?
In all seriousness, Cardwell closing speaks to the trend of the game – Christie trying to figure the current roster sans Sabonis and Murray out on the fly. After Raynaud’s rough third-quarter stint, Christie needed someone to spell Eubanks.
Aside from what will probably be the worst missed free throw for the Kings this season, Cardwell did about what was expected of him. He served as a big body inside and helped stop the bleeding on the offensive glass. Per James Ham, the Suns had 18 offensive rebounds through the first three quarters, and none in the fourth when Cardwell played the final 6:29.
Kings gave up 18 offensive rebounds through three quarters. They made an adjustment in the fourth with rookie Dylan Cardwell playing the final 6:29. Zero offensive rebounds for the Suns in the final period.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) October 23, 2025
Cardwell closed alongside Schroder, Monk, LaVine, and DeRozan. The group actually looked good and mounted a nice comeback down the stretch. Once Sabonis and Murray return, though, this closing group will almost certainly change. Smart money is on one of the Schroder/Monk/LaVine/DeRozan quartet being benched for Murray, depending on matchups and how the game is going.
For now, though, Christie will have to make the most of the roster we saw last night. Sacramento looks to break into the win column in their home opener on Friday night against the Utah Jazz.