Instant Takeaways From Kings' Crushing Loss to Shorthanded Pacers

The Sacramento Kings looked to stay hot after beating the Miami Heat on Saturday in what was probably their best win of the season. There were certainly moments where you saw a confidence that resembled last game, but Sacramento was thoroughly outplayed for most of the game, falling 116-105 on Monday night. The Kings move to 6-18 after this loss.

Fun Matchup Without Key Figures

Pacers-Kings matchups are typically fun. Ever since the Sabonis-for-Haliburton trade, the franchises will naturally be tethered to one another for the foreseeable future. Both teams were high-powered, fast-paced offenses after the trade, making it even more fun to watch them match up. Indiana still plays this way - it was a big part of what helped them reach the NBA Finals last season.

Unfortunately, though, both Sabonis (meniscus) and Haliburton (Achilles) missed tonight’s game. Haliburton will miss the season as he recovers from the torn Achilles he suffered in the NBA Finals. Indiana has understandably struggled without their All-NBA offensive engine.

Without Haliburton running the show, this was already going to be a gap year of sorts for Indiana. However, the injury bug has bitten them particularly hard. Indiana was also without key rotation pieces Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, and Ben Shepperd tonight. Benedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard have also missed chunks of the season. It should come as no surprise that the Pacers had struggled to a 5-17 record coming into tonight’s matchup.

Raynaud’s Productive Run Continues

The Kings stuck with Maxime Raynaud in the starting lineup tonight. Raynaud once again looked comfortable, flashing good hands and soft touch as a roll man. He and Russell Westbrook have particularly strong chemistry in pick-and-rolls. There are still plenty of things for the young Kings big to work on, but he has not looked out of place while getting extended minutes over the last week or so.

Raynaud finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists tonight. He is averaging 16.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.2 BPG over the last four games since he began getting significant run (25.5 MPG over that stretch).

Maxime Raynaud has excelled since earning a bigger role on this Sacramento team

He addresses a ton of the Kings’ biggest questions with his size, defense, and touch around the rim

Has excelled at cutting off drives or rotating over as a help defender pic.twitter.com/FieFWVXIsQ https://t.co/Pfx2mNv6a9
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) December 9, 2025

Before Raynaud entered the rotation, all Kings fans would get in the way of young talent for some optimism on a basement-dwelling team is 10-15 minutes per game from Nique Clifford. Now, at least, Scott Perry and his regime can point to a productive young player in what has otherwise been a lost season without much direction. It is disappointing that it has taken a Sabonis injury and many Drew Eubanks nothing performances to get us to this point, but that is where we are this season.

A Game of Runs

This game (particularly the second half) was a roller coaster. Sacramento ended the quarter down 23-35, and ended the half down 66-51. Indiana was getting whatever it wanted, and Sacramento looked out of sorts. This kind of half has been all too familiar this season.

However, things completely flipped in the second half. The Kings went on several large runs, including a 9-0 run to end the third and a 13-5 run to begin the fourth and take the lead. The fourth quarter run was more about stopping Indiana than an offensive onslaught, led by stout defense from Keon Ellis, Nique Clifford, and Precious Achiuwa, and some vintage Russell Westbrook.

Russell Westbrook is ABSURD setting up his bigs (Maxime Raynaud Here) with interior dimes pic.twitter.com/Hhak2ww6Lh
— Jackson Lloyd (@JacksonLloydNBA) December 9, 2025

Unfortunately, Sacramento did not hold that lead for long. Ellis and Clifford were subbed out, and Indiana ended the game on an 18-4 run over the last 6 minutes to take the game. Despite switching to their more offense-centric lineup, Sacramento did not score in the final three minutes, and Indiana secured three key offensive rebounds during those final three minutes to help seal the comeback win. Andrew Nembhard really stepped up for Indiana down the stretch, scoring 12 of Indiana’s last 19 points.

In the grand scheme of things, it is for the best that Sacramento loses this game. This pulls them into a three-way tie with Indiana and the Los Angeles Clippers for the third-best lottery odds in the 2026 NBA Draft. It is a shame that we are back to checking Tankathon 24 games into the season, but this is where we are now.

Fun Matchup Without Key Figures

Raynaud’s Productive Run Continues

A Game of Runs

Recommended Articles