Maxime Raynaud Shines Bright in Kings’ 13th Straight Loss as Sacramento’s Tank Rolls On
There’s no sugarcoating it - the Kings got steamrolled. Sacramento fell 120-94 to the New Orleans Pelicans, tying the franchise’s longest losing streak of the Sacramento era at 13 games. But if you’re looking for silver linings, rookie big man Maxime Raynaud delivered a performance worth circling.
In a game where little went right for Sacramento, Raynaud stood tall - literally and figuratively. The 7-footer posted 21 points and pulled down a career-best 19 rebounds in 38 minutes, showcasing the kind of poise and production that gives Kings fans a reason to stay locked in. He was the lone bright spot in a night otherwise defined by missed shots, broken plays, and a Pelicans team that looked like it was scrimmaging.
Fellow rookie Nique Clifford, fresh off a 30-point breakout against Cleveland, came back to earth. Clifford still filled the stat sheet with 10 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, but his 4-for-16 shooting line told the story of a tough night at the office. He pushed the tempo when he could, but the Pelicans’ defense - long, active, and relentless - made every possession a grind.
New Orleans, on the other hand, looked like a team with playoff aspirations. Trey Murphy III was in full rhythm, dropping 21 points, dishing 7 assists, and knocking down five triples.
Zion Williamson added 18 points, 6 assists, and 5 boards, and the duo had a field day in transition. Whether it was alley-oops, fast breaks, or just simple execution, the Pelicans controlled the pace and punished Sacramento for every mistake.
The Kings’ offense never got out of neutral. They managed just 41 combined points in the second and third quarters, and their ball movement stalled under the pressure of New Orleans’ wing defenders. Murphy and Herb Jones were everywhere - deflecting passes, closing out shooters, and making life miserable for Sacramento’s guards.
Adding injury to insult, Russell Westbrook went down with an apparent ankle injury midway through the third quarter. But before exiting, the veteran guard made history.
Westbrook scored 17 points, pushing his career total past the 27,000-point mark - making him just the 14th player in NBA history to hit that milestone. Even in a blowout loss, the future Hall of Famer found a way to leave his mark.
Three-point shooting? Virtually nonexistent.
The Kings went just 4-of-31 from beyond the arc - a brutal 12.9% clip. Devin Carter, in his second season, tried to inject some life into the offense, finishing with 12 points and 4 assists in just under 30 minutes.
But the spacing never materialized, and the Kings spent most of the night chasing the game.
This wasn’t just a matchup of two struggling teams - it was a showdown between the league’s bottom two seeds in the Western Conference. And while the Pelicans walked away with the win, Sacramento might have inched closer to the real prize: a better shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Call it what you want - tanking, rebuilding, strategic losses - but the Kings are clearly playing the long game. And if Raynaud’s performance is any indication, there’s at least one foundational piece already in place.