It’s no secret that the Sacramento Kings are struggling on defense this season. Coming into the game against the San Antonio Spurs, they had the fourth-worst defensive rating in the league. That, paired with their sixth-worst offense, have been understandly landed them at 3-10 early in the season.
And as we watch the game against the Spurs, where the Kings fell down early once again, a continued trend revealed itself once more. The Kings just can’t string together any stops, resulting in two more high-scoring quarters for San Antonio, as they scored 36 points in the first, and 31 in the second.
That added to a sad stat for the Kings, who gave up their league-leading 34th and 35th 30+ point quarters of the year. That means that out of the 54 quarters the Kings have played this year, they’ve given up 30+ points in 64.8% of them, which also leads the league.
Part of what is killing the Kings is their inability to grab rebounds, as the Spurs finished the first half with seven offensive rebounds that led to 11 second chance points. Even when Sacramento does get a stop, teams get good looks off second chance consistently throughout the game.
Nov 16, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) shoots a free throw in the first half against the Sacramento Kings at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
What makes it so difficult for the Kings is the continuity of their opponents’ scoring. Even when they go on runs on offense, they can’t climb back into games with multiple stops on the other end. In their first matchup against the Denver Nuggets, the Kings trailed by around 12 points almost all game after falling behind early.
The constant scoring also contributes to Sacramento quickly falling out of games that they are right in to the end. In their recent five-game losing streak, they were hanging with the Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, and then a few minutes into the fourth quarter, the game was over due to a quick run by the T-Wolves and Nuggets.
The trend also shows that the Kings’ defensive issues aren’t limited to just certain lineups or players, which is concerning. Having certain players struggle on defense is one thing, but having the whole team struggle throughout the entire course of a game, time and time again, is another.
Doug Christie has lofty goals of making the Kings into defensive juggernauts, but this, along with numerous other defensive stats, shows they still have a long way to go to reach those goals.
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