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Three Takeaways From Kings' Latest Loss To Grizzlies
Nov 30, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) reacts after a play against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Three Takeaways From Kings' Latest Loss To Grizzlies

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Will Zimmerle  |  Last updated Nov 30, 2025 11:52 PM ET

The Sacramento Kings held their own in this one against the Memphis Grizzlies (which is really saying something this season), but in the end, they fell 115-107 and dropped to 5-16 on the season.

The Kings played relatively well, as they had good stretches where they used great defense to lead to great offense. But ultimately, they couldn't stand up to the size of the Grizzlies. Zach Edey Erupted for a career-night, finishing with 32 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 blocks on 16-of-20 (80%) shooting from the field.

Keegan Murray continued to shine for the Kings, with another great game on both ends of the court. He finished with just 12 points, but chipped in 5 steals and 3 blocks as well. Murray continues to have a huge impact on the game, and reminded everyone again tonight how his defense alone makes him invaluable to the team.

As always, there was some good and some bad in this one for Sacramento. Here are three takeaways from their latest loss.

Size Crushes Kings Again

Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Once again, there's nothing much new to say here. The Kings are an undersized team, and the Grizzlies made them pay for it tonight. As mentioned, Edey had a career night and was a problem all night against the Kings.

And it was in all facets of the game. Edey shined in the pick and roll, on the offensive glass with his putbacks, and on the defensive end. The Kings offense looked stagnant any time they were in their half-court sets. Edey and his five blocks (not to mention Jaren Jackson Jr.) made life difficult for Sacramento.

The Kings tried a little bit of everything to try to slow him down, from Drew Eubanks, to Precious Achiuwa, and rookie Maxime Raynaud, but no one was able to fully stop him.

Murray And Achiuwa are Clicking

The Kings may be small in the front court overall, but Christie has found a combo that has clicked with Keegan Murray and Precious Achiuwa.

The end of the 3rd quarter showed it especially, when the Kings used a 23-7 run to regain the lead. Precious Achiuwa and Murray may not be a large front-court duo, but they use their length and athleticism well to be disruptive on defense.

It was one of the stretches of the game where the Kings used defense to lead to offense. They only do it in short stints, but when they do, it's so fun to watch. The crowd gets into it, the flow to the game looks so much better, and it keeps them out of their half-court offense.

Three-Point Struggles Continue

With so many other headlines this season, the Kings' struggles from three-point range have gone mostly undiscussed. Coming into tonight, they were last in the league with just 11.1 made threes per game.

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Their percentage from deep isn't terrible (35.7%, 17th), but that combined with their low volume (31.1, 29th) has sunk them to the bottom of the rankings for threes. And that's going to go down even more tonight, as they made just eight on 27 attempts (29.6%).

Thankfully, the Grizzlies only made nine of their 24 attempts, but the fact of the matter remains. The Kings are one of, if not the worst, three-point shooting teams in the league.


This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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