Sunday, December 28

Westbrook makes history, Sacramento Kings coast past Mavs


Amid what has largely been a disappointing season for the Sacramento Kings, Saturday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks felt like a break from the chaos.

Sacramento held a lead for over 40 minutes of action, Russell Westbrook passed Magic Johnson on the NBA’s all-time assists list, and the Kings did enough to secure a 113-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks in front of a sold-out crowd at Golden 1 Center.

Entering play with the worst record in the Western Conference, Sacramento (8-23) has now won two games over its past three contests after winning just once from November 26th through December 20th.

The Kings capitalized by scoring 28 points off Dallas’ 21 turnovers en route to their eighth win of the season.

Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks takeaways

While Sacramento was entering play without three starters (Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and Zach LaVine), they hit the ground running right from the opening tip.

Keon Ellis took full advantage of his starting opportunity by pouring in 13 points during the first quarter (more points than he’s scored in an entire game since November 12th) as the Kings jumped out to a 27-12 lead over the first seven minutes of action.

Ellis, who has spent most of this season in a reserve role, got some help from fellow bench contributors like Doug McDermott, Dennis Schroder, and Dylan Cardwell, which helped elevate a short-handed Sacramento roster that was missing a combined 51 points and 21 rebounds per game.

An aggressive Kings defense–paired with some sloppy miscues from the Mavericks’ offense–resulted in nine Dallas turnovers during the first half, with Sacramento scoring 12 points off those mishaps.

While Ellis’ strong start got the Sacramento Kings off to a strong start, Russell Westbrook was Sacramento’s engine that fueled one of their better starts in recent memory.

The future Hall of Famer racked up 12 points, four rebounds, and six assists on five of nine shooting from the field over 14 minutes as Sacramento took a 59-44 lead into the break.

Dallas looked like a team well on their way to a blowout loss during the first half, but they quickly turned the page in the third quarter.

First-overall pick Cooper Flagg brushed off a two-point first half by scoring 15 points over the first six minutes of the third, leading a 24-12 Mavericks run that put Sacramento on notice and trimmed a once-18-point lead to three.

Ellis and Westbrook joined forces and ignited a 17-9 run of their own to put the Kings back in front by double-digits heading into the fourth, and things would only de-escalate from there for Sacramento.

Dallas’ self-destructive tendencies hurt them all afternoon, and two more turnovers during the opening moments of the fourth translated into more scoring chances for the Kings, who pushed the lead to 16 points–an advantage they wouldn’t relinquish in crunch time.

Sacramento benefited from another strong showing from its trio of rookies in Maxime Raynaud (19 points), Nique Clifford (eight points and nine boards), and Dylan Cardwell (eight rebounds and two blocks) as all three players made contributions in the final period to put the game away for good.

Keon Ellis, who has been subject to countless trade rumors and reports, finished the night with a season-high 21 points on five-of-ten shooting from the field and three steals over 32 minutes in what was his strongest showing of the 2025-26 campaign.

The three-and-D guard had only logged 30-plus minutes of playing time one other time this season, but with three starters sidelined, head coach Doug Christie called his number on Saturday.

Maxime Raynaud continued to impress as the first-year big man finished the night with 19 points, six rebounds, and two blocks over 27 minutes. The 42nd overall pick from June’s NBA Draft has now scored in double-figures in nine of his past twelve contests.

Raynaud is now averaging 10.3 points per game on the season, an impressive feat when you take his 52/35/76 shooting splits into consideration.

On a night that saw one of the greatest guards in NBA history continue to etch his name in the record books, a lot of the focus remained on Raynaud and fellow rookies, Nique Clifford and Dylan Cardwell.

The trio continued to deliver, with all three players logging five minutes or more in the fourth quarter. As Sacramento and the rest of the league continue to move towards the NBA trade deadline, the organization will continue to prioritize the rookies’ growth as it sets its sights on the future.

Playing in crunch time only reinforces that notion, and that continues to be the trend with the Kings’ up-and-comers.

Russ Passes Magic

Russell Westbrook has already made history this season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t continue doing so.

Westbrook, who already became the NBA career leader in rebounds by a guard, also accomplished another noteworthy feat on Saturday afternoon by passing Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson on the all-time assists list.

The nine-time All-Star registered his 10,142nd career assist during the opening minutes of play to pass Johnson for seventh on the all-time list, with only John Stockton, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, LeBron James, Steve Nash, and Mark Jackson ahead of him.

“I grew up wanting to play football. Things happened so fast for me,” Westbrook said when asked what it meant to pass another great in the all-time record books. “I always knew, though, if I had an opportunity to be somebody, I was going to take full advantage. I don’t take anything for granted. I hope the way I play the game, the way I compete, will inspire people to do great things in their lives as well.”

Westbrook finished the afternoon with 21 points, five rebounds, and nine assists on eight-of-16 shooting and five-of-nine from three-point range over 28 minutes.

Sacramento Kings Injury Updates

Center Domantas Sabonis, who has been sidelined since November 16th due to a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, will miss at least another 3-4 weeks of action.

Forward Keegan Murray (mild calf strain) missed Saturday’s game and will be re-evaluated in one week.

Guard Zach LaVine (moderate left ankle sprain) will be re-evaluated this week. LaVine missed his fifth-straight game on Saturday.

Center Drew Eubanks (left thumb avulsion fracture) will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

The Sacramento Kings will hit the road for a brief, two-game, one-city road trip when they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.

Back on October 26th, the Lakers beat the Kings 127-120 at Golden 1 Center behind a career-high 51-point outing from Austin Reaves.

Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:00 PM PT on Game Night before a 6:30 pm PT tip-off from downtown Los Angeles.

YouTube video

Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season

  • Saturday, December 27th – vs. Dallas Mavericks – 2:00 PM PT
  • Sunday, December 28th – @ Los Angeles Lakers – 6:30 PM PT
  • Tuesday, December 30th – @ Los Angeles Clippers – 8:00 PM PT
  • Thursday, January 1st – vs. Boston Celtics – 7:00 PM PT
  • Friday, January 2nd – @ Phoenix Suns – 6:00 PM PT

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