Kings set franchise record with 15th consecutive loss, a 37-point outscoring of Magic
Among a horde of struggling NBA teams, the Sacramento Kings are the only ones with the worst record in the NBA. Thursday was no better.
The Kings extended their losing streak to 15 games with a 131-94 loss to the Orlando Magic, breaking the franchise record for consecutive losses. That low mark had previously been maintained by two different consecutive streaks during the team’s days of operating as the Cincinnati Royals.
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Their record is now 12-45.
Sacramento hasn’t won a game since Jan. 16, a 128-115 victory over the equally useless Washington Wizards. To give a sports fan some perspective on how long ago this happened, the NFL split round began the next day.
Thursday’s loss was the most lopsided of the bunch by a 37-point scoring margin. Five of the 15 were actually by less than five points, but the Kings couldn’t get it done.
Recall that the Kings fired current New York Knicks coach Mike Brown after his team suffered a five-game losing streak.
The Kings will have their next chance to break the series record with a road game against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. After that, their next three opponents will be the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks.
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It’s going to get worse before it gets better for the Kings
There is almost no reason to expect improvement in the latter stage of the season, beyond the idea that an NBA team can’t be that bad. The Kings announced Wednesday that All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Zach LaVine, the team’s leading scorer, is already out for the season following hand surgery.
With those two out, Thursday offered a glimpse into how the Kings will operate moving forward. DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points on 3-of-11 shooting. Russell Westbrook scored 5 points on 2-of-8 shooting, with 1 assist and 3 turnovers. Bench scored 30 points on combined 9-of-29 shooting with 8 assists and 9 turnovers.
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One bright spot might have been rookie Maxime Reynaud, who started at center in place of Sabonis and scored 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting with 14 rebounds and 4 assists. The Kings were outscored by 14 points in his 39 minutes on the court, which actually tied for the second-best plus/minus on the team among the 10 players who got minutes.
Maxime Reynaud actually had one of the Kings’ best performances against the Magic. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Lachlan Cunningham via Getty Images)
It’s tempting to say the Kings won’t even try for the rest of the season, but that’s not exactly how it works. The ownership and executive suite may no longer care about the same thing, which would guarantee them a top-5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but the players still have plenty of reasons to compete. It seems like this is an extremely broken list right now.
There is now some distance between Sacramento and the rest of the NBA in the standings. The Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans all have 15 wins as of Thursday night, with the Kings three wins ahead of their closest “competition” for the top spot in the lottery.