Kings Withstand Major Injury, Take Down Rockets to Win Third Straight

The Sacramento Kings won their third straight game, taking down the Houston Rockets 113-103, but the game started about as eerily as possible as Domantas Sabonis left the game with a hamstring injury after just 1:16 minutes.

Jonas Valančiūnas came in and played fantastic off the bench to fill in for Sabonis, ending the night with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. It was a reminder to anyone who might have forgotten that Valančiūnas is a starting caliber big in this league, and the Kings having him on the roster just went from a nice luxury to a lifesaver.

Jonas Valanciunas stepped up in a big way with Domantas Sabonis out of action.

15 PTS | 14 REB | 4 STL | 3 BLK | 7/10 FG | 29 MIN pic.twitter.com/KrA1o0JByk
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) March 2, 2025

Overall, the Kings used a balanced approach on offense for the second straight game, with six players scoring in double digits. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 21 points while Zach LaVine finished right behind him with 20.

Sacramento has a tremendous amount of offensive firepower on this team, but they are showcasing lately how they can get the job done as a team, which falls into exactly what Doug Christie has preached over and over. They only had 21 assists tonight, but limited their turnovers to 13 against a physical Houston defense.

In a very physical game, the Kings came out the aggressors, using their physical defense to grab 13. Keon Ellis led the way with five takeaways off the bench, getting in the passing lanes and stripping the ball from the Rockets all night.

Alperen Sengun led the way with a game-high 30 points, but the Kings did their best to make life difficult for the Rockets. Outside of Sengun and Tari Eason, no other Rockets player shot over 50% from the field.

Tonight was a great example of how the Kings continue to just find ways to win. After losing their All-NBA center, they figured it out. The threes weren't falling, as they only made nine on the night, but they figured it out.

Christie has said it time and time again. These players and this team are going to fight. And against one of the chippiest teams in the league, they came out of this fight with the win.

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