Rockets dominance adds injury to insult. Keegan Murray's return to the locker room casts a dark shadow on the Kings' latest blowout defeat.
The Sacramento Kings dropped to 13-47 after a 128-97 blowout loss to the Houston Rockets in enemy territory Wednesday night, and injury was added to insult.
With 3:23 remaining in the first quarter, Keegan Murray fell in a heap after contesting a Clint Capela attempt at the rim and limped all the way to the locker room with an apparent lower leg injury.
Sacramento's former No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft previously missed 20 straight games with a left ankle sprain, and it appears he might have re-aggravated it against Houston.
The Kings failed to earn a win in his honor, allowing second-year Rockets guard Reed Sheppard to notch a career-high 28 points and seven three-point makes. 16-time All-Star Kevin Durant chipped in 21 points and 2-time All-Star center Alperen Sengun filled the box score with a 26-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double in 32 minutes of work.
As for Sacramento, their charge was led by the veteran options Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, who finished with 22 and 15 points, respectively.
Rookie guard Nique Clifford turned in another positive performance after collecting a career-high six steals in the Kings' 123-114 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.
Clifford scored 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting and added another four steals. Fellow rookie Maxime Raynaud finished with 11 points and eight boards, and two-way signing Daeqwon Plowden poured in nine points in 24 minutes.
One of the Kings' newest signees Patrick Baldwin Jr. made his debut with the squad against Houston, ending his night with five points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 21 minutes of action.
Baldwin Jr.'s 7-foot frame and athleticism makes him an intriguing reclamation project for Sacramento and head coach Doug Christie. The Kings' other 10-day contract signee Killian Hayes took the floor for the second time, somehow appearing worse than in his debut in Memphis.
Hayes shot just 1-for-9 to end his night with three points and three assists, and his performance helped bring the Kings' collective field goal percentage to a sub-40% mark for the game (39.8%).
Malik Monk's 7-point outing on a rough 2-for-8 shooting night played a role in the Kings' demise of epic proportions, as well.
Sacramento surprisingly won the offensive rebounding battle 16-9 against the NBA's best team in that category, but the Rockets' sublime 43.6% three-point shooting carried them to an easy win.
With Murray's status yet to be determined, Kings fans will be waiting on bated breath to hear if the fourth-year wing will miss a significant period of time once more.
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