Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown. Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Kings hit rock bottom with latest loss, running out of answers

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Dec 23, 2024 8:22 AM ET

Two years ago, the Kings were considered one of the hottest young teams in the league after they clinched the third seed in the West and pushed the Warriors to the brink in the playoffs.

At the time, it was widely predicted that they would join the Thunder, Grizzlies and Timberwolves among the young squads primed to dominate the West over the next decade or so. Instead, the opposite has transpired.

Last season, the Kings failed to make the playoffs after losing in the play-in tournament. This season, they may be lucky to get that far.

On Sunday night, the Kings were routed 122-95 by the Pacers, suffering their fourth straight loss and sinking to 13-17 after the first 30 games of the season. In a tied game at halftime, the Kings were outscored 70-43 in the final 24 minutes, including a 17-5 Pacers run at the start of the fourth quarter.

The ugly loss led to fans at the Golden 1 Center booing their players. The boos grew louder after the final buzzer.

An alarming low-point for the Kings after a 122-95 loss to the Pacers.

A 4th consecutive loss, coupled with a dreadful home record, mounting mistakes, cold shooting, puzzlement over rotations, frustrated players & coaches, and now Sacramento's fans voicing their displeasure. pic.twitter.com/1ADo3oDfnF
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) December 23, 2024

Following the loss, head coach Mike Brown admitted that fans were justified to boo his players.

"The fans definitely deserved better than what we showed today," Brown said via NBC Sports Bay Area. "When you look in the mirror you want to say that you left it all on the floor and you're trying to play the right way. It's understandable why the fans let us have it."

Brown acknowledged the Kings had sunk to a "pretty low" point but that his players must believe in themselves.

"In this league, it'll change in a heartbeat. Just like, if things aren't going good, it's going to flip, so don't get too low," Brown urged his players.

The Kings began December with a 4-2 record but have been unable to shake off their woes since last week's heartbreaking 130-129 loss to the Nuggets. Since then, they've been outscored by 11.5 points per game and cannot seem to muster any quality offense.

Sacramento's ongoing woes have sparked chatter of the franchise potentially trading De'Aaron Fox. According to The Athletic, Fox's representatives met the Kings last week to discuss his future with the franchise.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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