The Kings opened the 2026-27 season with a rough night at Intuit Dome, falling 121-96 to the Los Angeles Clippers in a game that never really tilted Sacramento’s way.
It wasn’t the lineup the Kings had planned on, either. Malik Monk was scratched shortly before tip-off because of left ankle soreness, and offseason addition Ben Simmons was already out after tearing his Achilles during Sunday’s practice.
"Now, we're playing for Ben, all of us," Kings coach Doug Christie told reporters before the game. "Honoring that we play the right way, because he plays the right way."
Sacramento did not come close to putting that idea into practice. The Kings tied the game only once, never held a lead, and spent all four quarters chasing after a Clippers team that came out blazing with a 41-point first quarter. The shot chart told the story, too: Sacramento finished at 42 percent from the floor, 29 percent from beyond the arc and just 16 of 28 at the line.
Darius Acuff Jr. had the toughest introduction possible to NBA basketball. The No. 7 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft made his professional debut and labored through a 5-for-24 night from the field, missing all seven of his 3-point tries. He finished with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and four turnovers, which tied for the game high.
Keegan Murray was held scoreless until the fourth quarter and wound up with just two points on 1-of-8 shooting. Zach LaVine provided the one steady offensive spark for Sacramento, scoring a team-high 28 points and burying three 3s. Eighteen of those points came in the first half.
Los Angeles was missing Brandon Ingram, Max Strus and Bradley Beal, but that didn’t slow the home team’s start. Darius Garland powered the Clippers with 30 points as he opened his first full season in Los Angeles, and Sacramento had no answer in transition. The Kings gave up 19 of the Clippers’ 27 fastbreak points in the first two quarters alone.
Domantas Sabonis returned for his first game since Feb. 4 and delivered the double-double the Kings expected, finishing with 14 points and 18 rebounds. Along the way, he also moved into franchise record territory, breaking the Sacramento-era mark for rebounds in a season opener by topping Chris Webber’s 15 from 1999 and LaSalle Thompson’s 15 from 1986.
The Kings will try to regroup at home on Friday, when they host the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center.
In Other News...
Kings Opened With A Blowout Loss And The Postgame Only Got Worse
The Kings did not get the kind of opening-night jolt they were hoping for, falling 121-96 to the Clippers as the new season began with a thud. For Sacramento, it was a rough way to start, with the game getting away early and the scoreboard only reinforcing how much work still sits ahead in the first stretch of the year.
Los Angeles had its own backdrop hanging over the night, with coach Tyronn Lue dedicating the win to owner Steve Ballmer after the league handed down major punishment in the salary cap circumvention case tied to Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers penalty was steep, including a $30 million fine, the loss of five first-round picks and suspensions for Ballmer and two executives, while Leonard ended up traded to the Toronto Raptors. For the Kings, the game itself was bad enough, and the wider postgame only made the loss feel even more lopsided. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Already Face One Frustrating Question After Season Opener
The Kings 2026-27 season started with an early reminder that the margin for error in the West is thin, as Sacramento fell to the Clippers 121-96 in Inglewood. Zach LaVine supplied 28 points to pace the Kings, but Los Angeles had the cleaner answer throughout the night, with Darius Garland scoring 30 and the Clippers bench giving them a steady lift.
What stood out most was how quickly the game slipped away after halftime, when the Clippers widened the gap in the third quarter and kept Sacramento from ever finding a real rhythm. For a team trying to set a tone in the opener, the frustrating part is less the final score than how little time it took for the contest to stop feeling competitive. [Read more 🡒]
Doug Christie Sends Early Warning After Kings' Sloppy Opener
The Kings opened the season with a rough 121-96 loss to the Clippers, and the aftermath sounded less like panic than a coach laying down a baseline. Sacramento was already shorthanded without Malik Monk, who sat because of ankle soreness, and Ben Simmons, who is out for the season with an Achilles injury, but Doug Christie made it clear the missing pieces were only part of the problem. What stood out more was how the Kings let the game drift away with loose execution and too many empty possessions.
Christies early message centered on the habits Sacramento has to sharpen quickly, starting with defensive intensity and cleaner ball movement. He also wants the offense to show more patience instead of forcing the issue before opportunities develop. It is only one game, but for a Kings team trying to establish a reliable standard, the opener offered a blunt reminder that talent alone will not be enough. [Read more 🡒]