Three Takeaways from Kings Blowout Loss to Clippers

In a game that felt like a formality, the Sacramento Kings fell big to the Los Angeles Clippers 138-109. It was a game where the Kings fell behind early and the Clippers never looked back, controlling the game from start to finish on the holiday matchup.

Even more than recent Kings games, this one felt like a game that Sacramento just had to get through to end the season as they now have just three games left before putting a disappointing season in the rearview mirror. Unfortunately, it's nothing we haven't seen before this year, regardless of who has been on the court for Sacramento. They've suffered numerous blowout losses just like this, and this isn't even their worst loss to the Clippers on the season, as they lost by 41 points to them in December.

Here are three takeaways as the Kings drop to 21-58 on the season.

Holding Even

The Kings moved into a tie with the Utah Jazz after back-to-back wins over the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans the last two games. And with Utah losing big to the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight, the two teams maintained their tied status with three games left apiece.

It feels exhausting focusing so much on the lottery positioning to end the season, but that's the reality of where the Kings are and the position they've put themselves in. Dropping to the fifth worst record after holding the league's worst record for the majority of the season is a tough pill to swallow, but one that might be a reality.

The Jazz have now lost nine straight games as they continue to do whatever it take to add losses to their record. The Kings, meanwhile, have yet to lean into full tank mode. But for tonight, the two teams hold even.

DeMar DeRozan Makes Quick History

DeRozan made quick work of his minutes tonight, scoring nine points in just 10:22 minutes to pass Oscar Robertson for 16th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. He was an efficient 4-of-5 from the field, did what needed to be done, and that was that.