Takeaways from Kings Impressive Win Over Clippers

The Sacramento Kings continued their hot streak of late with their third win in four tries, this time with a BLANK victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. It was another game that looked like one of the Kings' best of the season, which isn't saying much for a 16-win team, but it's hard to argue that they haven't been playing some of their best ball of the season of late.

It may not be exactly what the franchise needs, with their lottery odds in danger of falling even more with 14 games left on the season, but it is what this team is going out there to do. They showed us once again that they are going to fight. We've seen it since Doug Christie took over as the interim head coach last season, the Kings are going to fight for every win, no matter the talent discrepencies.

The Kings got some help in that department tonight when Kawhi Leonard went down with an ankle injury, but even before then, they had control of the game for the majority of the contest. That's something we haven't seen much this year for Sacramento, but here are two key takeaways as the Kings improve to 17-51 on the season.

Front Court Duo of the Future?

It can't be overstated enough, the Kings starting front court had an absolute masterclass of a performance tonight. The trio of DeMar DeRozan, Maxime Raynaud, and Precious Achiuwa combined for a whopping 75 points tonight on a hyper-efficient 80% from the field.

The trio of DeMar DeRozan, Maxime Raynaud, and Precious Achiuwa combined for 75 points on 32/40 (80%) from the field.

Just a masterclass of a performance from the starting front court tonight.
DeRozan - 27
Achiuwa - 25
Raynaud - 23
— Will Z. Stats (@will_zimmerle) March 15, 2026

They attacked the rim over and over again and got out in transition to get easy buckets. There were even passes from big-to-big that showed some of the best ball movement we've seen from the Kings all season.

Raynaud appears like a future rotational piece at worst and starting center at best, but Achiuwa continues to make his case for a bigger role next season, either for the Kings or another team if he leaves in free agency. He's playing the best basketball of his career and is a huge part of the Kings' resurgence of late. He and Raynaud are forming a great front-court partnership as the season comes to a close, and it's fair to start to ask if they could be the duo of the future.

Vets Continue to Shine

Mar 14, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Sacramento Kings Head Coach Doug Christie reacts with guard-forward DeMar DeRozan (10) during the second quarter at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Russell Westbrook joined DeRozan as the other key veteran to show out tonight, finishing with another triple-double. He shot just 4-of-15 (26.7%) from the field, but orchestrated the offense and pushed the tempo all night long. It's hard to ask for a better point guard to help push the pace than Westbrook, even in his age-37 season.

Westbrook and DeRozan both continued their strong play. Compared to when the team was filled with veterans, they complement the young players well. They provide the leadership and scoring, but they work in everyone on the floor and are both contributing to team wins. That's the type of wins you can build on as a franchise, and they are helping lead the charge.