Kings DeMar DeRozan Passes 2 NBA Legends on All-Time Scoring List vs. Rockets

Anyone who was worried the Sacramento Kings may go on a long winning streak and hurt their draft lottery odds can take a big sigh of relief. The Kings fell big to the Houston Rockets 128-97 as Kevin Durant and company made it look easier against the worst team in the league.

But just like he has all season, DeMar DeRozan showed up to get the job done, scoring 15 points and dishing out 7 assists as he passed two NBA legends on the all-time scoring list. After tonight, DeRozan has 26,406 points, which puts him at 20th in league history.

DeRozan is two points away from passing Paul Pierce for 20th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) February 26, 2026

He passed Jon Havlicek (26,395) and Paul Pierce (26,397) in quick succession, and now sits behind Stephen Curry (26,447). He may even catch Curry and pass him, as Curry continues to recover from injury. The NBA's greatest shooter will likely get him in the end, but DeRozan could put a decent distance between them with the rest of the season.

And Curry likely isn't the only player DeRozan will catch this season, as he could easily get up to 18th on the list and pass Kings legend Oscar Robertson, who sits at 26,710 career points. That's only 304 more than DeRozan has after tonight, and with 22 games left, DeRozan is on pace for just under 400 points at his current average.

Consummate Professional

Feb 25, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) defends as Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots the ball during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Kings struggled tonight once again, but DeRozan continues to show up and put in the work. The Rockets had a clear plan to not let the future hall-of-famer beat them tonight, and they pressed up on him and double-teamed him, but even still, DeRozan was able to finish with 15 points on just seven attempts.

With Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and De'Andre Hunter all out, and even Keegan Murray, who could miss more time after exiting tonight, teams are putting their sole focus on DeRozan. But he hasn't gotten to 20th on the all-time scoring list by accident.

He's the ultimate tough-shot maker, and even though it doesn't feel like things could be worse for the Kings, they certainly could be.

Deebo too strong 💪 pic.twitter.com/yqiDtY98pv
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 26, 2026

DeRozan could very easily be checked out and riding out the rest of the season. He could have pushed for a buyout or trade to another contending team. But instead, he continues to get buckets for the Sacramento Kings. I know the Kings are losing on a regular basis and those buckets aren't translating to much, but without DeRozan, it's hard to think of how the Kings would score on a consistent basis.

With no true star to build around, there's no young player demanding touches. Yes, Nique Clifford and company getting as many reps as possible is great, but they are also learning how to play off of a star and scorer in DeRozan. The hope is that one of them can either fill in that role in the future, or they can slot in someone to replace DeRozan, but having a go-to scorer in DeRozan is something this team still needs, regardless of record.