Kings hit rock bottom in blowout loss to Grizzlies

The 4-11 Memphis Grizzlies didn't have All-Stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. Thursday night. That didn't stop them from sending the Sacramento Kings to their eighth straight loss with a 41-point blowout victory, 137-96.

The Kings fell behind by double digits halfway through the first quarter and trailed by 28 points by halftime. The Grizzlies shot 51% and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, while the Kings committed 17 turnovers. Memphis finished with 42 assists, tied for the single-game high this season with the Atlanta Hawks, who also had 42 assists against the Kings.

Sacramento's awful season will get worse without Domantas Sabonis

Keegan Murray debuted for the Kings after missing 15 games with a thumb injury, scoring 11 points in 33 minutes. But the Kings learned that their best player, center Domantas Sabonis, will miss at least three weeks with a torn meniscus. Though having Sabonis didn't stop Sacramento from losing the last six games he played, he still averaged 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds.

The Kings are giving up 124.4 points per game, the third-most in the NBA. Opposing teams are making over half their shots against the Kings on the season, while Sacramento is blocking the second-fewest shots in the league. They have the NBA's second-worst defended field goal percentage overall and the worst within 10 feet of the basket.

It shouldn't be a surprise that a team built around older, offense-first players is struggling on defense. But the Kings are also struggling on offense, scoring 111 points per game , which is the fifth-worst mark in the league. Giving up 137 points is one thing, but scoring only 96 with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Malik Monk is quite another.

The Kings might not even be able to blow up their team

Normally, a team sitting at 3-13 would be looking to trade their veterans and tank. But it's hard to imagine much of a trade market for Zach LaVine, who's down to 21.5 points per game, his worst scoring average in eight years, and has a player option for $49M next season. DeRozan could garner some interest, but at age 36, the Kings can't expect much of a return.

Monk's scoring and assists are way down, and he's signed for three more years. 2024 lottery pick Devin Carter hardly plays. Keon Ellis appears to be in coach Doug Christie's doghouse, but he can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, limiting his trade value. Sabonis is the one player with real trade value, and his knee injury could keep him out indefinitely.

The Kings are in bad shape. Their eight straight losses have all come by double-digits, an average margin of defeat of 23.4 points. The previous low point of their season was losing to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday with former Kings De'Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes combining to score 48 points against their old team.

Thursday's loss was even more dispiriting. Two years ago, the Kings were the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. A month into this season, the Kings can't win more than three games.