The Sacramento Kings came away with another win, but the victory might prove costly in more ways than one.
Malik Monk scored a season-high 32 points to help the Kings conclude a four-game homestand with a 126-122 victory over the Brooklyn Nets before a matinee crowd of 16,289 at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings have won five of their last eight games to lift spirits in the locker room, but each win could weaken their odds in the NBA draft lottery. There was also cause for more immediate concern after rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford and Killian Hayes went down with injuries, joining a long list of injured players on Sacramento’s roster.
“Man, it sucks, especially for the young guys because you want them to be out there playing,” Kings forward DeMar DeRozan said. “You want them to get as many reps and experience as possible, and to see them go down, it definitely sucks. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious.”
Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) celebrates his team’s 126-122 victory against the Brooklyn Nets at Golden 1 Center on Sunday, March 22, 2026. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com
Rookie center Maxime Raynaud had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings (19-53). Raynaud leads all rookies with 16 double-doubles this season.
Devin Carter came off the bench to score 16 points. Precious Achiuwa had 14 points and 15 rebounds. DeRozan had 10 points and eight assists.
Ben Saraf scored 22 points to lead the Nets (17-54), who have lost seven in a row and 17 of their last 19. Ziaire Williams and Malachi Smith scored 18 points apiece. Nolan Traore had 17.
Monk said winning has provided a big boost to team morale.
“It definitely lifts the mood of everybody, especially how we started,” Monk said. “It’s been pretty rough, but seeing a few wins lately, it’s definitely been lifting the mood up, and we’re just happy to see the young guys out there getting some experience.”
This was the first of two games between the Kings and Nets that could determine which team finishes with a worse record and better draft lottery odds. They will meet again in Brooklyn on March 29 as part of Sacramento’s upcoming five-game road trip.
The Nets have the third-worst record in the NBA. The Kings have the fourth-worst record. The teams with the three worst records will have a 52.1% chance of securing a top-four pick in June’s NBA draft and a 14% chance landing the No. 1 pick.
Kings coach Doug Christie has unequivocally stated that the Kings will play to win.
“Whatever happens, happens, and the luck is your luck,” Christie said. “That’s just how the balls bounce.”
Sacramento was already shorthanded with Drew Eubanks (thumb), De’Andre Hunter (eye), Zach LaVine (finger), Keegan Murray (ankle), Daeqwon Plowden (foot), Domantas Sabonis (knee), Isaiah Stevens (ankle) and Russell Westbrook (foot) sidelined due to injuries.
The Kings lost another player when Hayes, who started at point guard in place of Westbrook, was ruled out for the second half due to a toe injury. They lost another when Clifford left the game with a left ankle injury early in the fourth quarter.
Neither team led by more than six in an opening half that featured eight ties and 13 lead changes. The Nets led 34-30 at the end of the first quarter and 62-57 at the halftime break.
Sacramento tied the game early in the second half and took a 73-72 lead on an alley-oop dunk by Dylan Cardwell midway through the third quarter. Carter hit a baseline jumper with 1.5 seconds remaining to send the Kings into the fourth quarter with an 85-82 lead.
The Kings were down to eight available players after Clifford left the game with 10:58 remaining, but that was all they needed. Patrick Baldwin Jr. hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Monk made an acrobatic layup. Carter wiggled through traffic and finished at the rim, putting Sacramento up 113-105 with 4:43 to play.
The Nets came back to cut the deficit to one with 18.2 seconds to go, but Monk, Carter and Raynaud made clutch free throws to secure the victory.
Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) jumps into the beam celebration with teammates forward Precious Achiuwa (9) and center Dylan Cardwell (32) after their team’s 126-122 victory against the Brooklyn Nets at Golden 1 Center on Sunday, March 22, 2026. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com Devin Carter returns
Carter returned after missing five games due to a right calf contusion. Carter had not played since scoring a career-high 24 points in a 114-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers on March 10.
Carter went 9 of 13 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range in the win over Indiana. He went 5 of 12 from the field, 0 of 4 from 3-point range and 6 of 8 at the free-throw line in Sunday’s game.
Up next
The Kings will open a five-game road trip when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday at Spectrum Center.
The Hornets (37-34) are 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 7 ½-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks for the final play-in spot. They have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround, winning 21 of their last 27 games after going 16-28 to start the season.
Charlotte is led by Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel. Miller is averaging 20.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Ball averages 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists. Knueppel, a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, is averaging 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
This story was originally published March 22, 2026 at 7:37 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.