Sabonis Shines, But Kings Fall to Timberwolves, Lose 5th Straight

The Sacramento Kings fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-124, drop their fifth straight, and fall to 3-10 on the season.

Nov 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings' season continues to free-fall as they lost their fifth straight game, this time to the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-124. It's the second time in four games they've lost to Minnesota, and while they didn't get blown out, it was similar to the Denver Nuggets game where the game was close...until it wasn't.

The Timberwolves pulled away in the fourth quarter as the Kings' offense completely stalled out. They scored just 19 points in the final frame, whereas the T-Wolves scored 32 to close the game. It's a problem the Kings have had all season long.

They'll stay in a game, but somewhere down the stretch, they just have a few plays that go the wrong way, and just like that, the game feels over.

On the plus side, it didn't appear that the team gave up in this one, unlike the blowout loss to the Atlanta Hawks. After a day in the trade rumor mill, Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists on 14-of-24 (58.3%) from the field.

He and Russell Westbrook had a great connection tonight, as Westbrook finished with 14 assists (along with 13 points and 10 rebounds for yet another triple-double). They couldn't get the scoring done to finish the game, but it's a good sign that the two are continuing to develop a connection. If the Kings are going to turn the ship around, they'll need to find some kind of offensive identity, and the pick and roll between Westbrook and Sabonis could do the trick.

New Starting Lineup

Nov 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) works around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

While Westbrook played well in the starting lineup, fellow point guard Dennis Schroder also excelled off the bench, finishing with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. The duo of Schroder and Keon Ellis off the bench worked well throughout the game, though Ellis cooled down towards the end of the game, finishing with nine points on 3-of-8 (37.5%) from the field.

Doug Christie continues to search for a lineup that he likes, but while he searches, nothing seems to stick or look like it's working. It's possible that the stars on this team just don't work, and no lineup is going to succeed. Or it's possible that Keegan Murray is the missing link and his return is the key.

The Kings starting lineup is poisonous. I don't care who is starting you can't make LaVine/DeRozan/Sabonis work

— Professor OAK 🇵🇸 (@o_a_khan) November 15, 2025

But if there's one thing that seems certain, it's that Christie will keep searching for answers and a lineup that he likes.

Kings Can't Slow Down Ant

The Kings did a great job limiting Anthony Edwards in the first half, but he eventually got his game going, as he so often does. He finished the night with 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists and looked calm and confident as he led Minnesota to victory.

It was a stark contrast to the Kings' fourth quarter. While Minnesota has an easy answer in close games and the fourth quarter in Edwards, Sacramento is still searching. DeMar DeRozan just doesn't look the same down the stretch as he did last year, Zach LaVine tends to disappear down the stretch, and Sabonis has never been the type of scorer to rely on to close games.

The Kings will continue their tough schedule as they head to San Antonio to take on De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama in a Sunday matinee at 1:00 pm PST.