After losing their last four games by a combined 104 points, Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie didn’t hold back about his team’s ‘unacceptable’ effort level.
Naturally, most were curious to see how they would respond Friday night in Minnesota. Despite scoring 30+ points in each of the first three quarters, Sacramento’s offense crumbled in the final frame as they fell 124-110 to the host Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards ended the night with 30 points on 9/20 shooting, including 11/12 from the free-throw line. Twenty-one of his tally came in the second half.
The Kings’ managing 32 assists on 41 field-goals was encouraging, as Domantas Sabonis was the main beneficiary with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.
Russell Westbrook contributed a triple-double (13 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) while Zach LaVine added 25 points on 8/17 shooting.
But 19 points in the final frame, coming in the final two minutes when the game was already over, wasn’t enough to get the job done.
Sacramento suffered its fifth straight loss Friday night, its first showing of a five-game road trip.
Next up is a battle against familiar face De’Aaron Fox, rising superstar Victor Wembanyama, and the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.
Kings vs. Timberwolves Game Notes
LaVine, who had been battling minor nagging injuries, made his presence known early with a few catch-and-shoot buckets.
However, it quickly started to feel familiar as Minnesota ran out in transition en route to a 16-2 run. Up 18-7 less than five minutes into the action, it had the potential to be another blowout loss for Sacramento.
Unwilling to go down easy, it was their bench unit that recovered the deficit. Schroder ran the show alongside Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, and Nique Clifford while Sabonis remained in action.
Their offense just made sense. Schroder got aggressive running pick-and-roll with Sabonis, while Monk, Ellis, and Clifford provided adequate spacing. The Kings found their big man getting downhill repeatedly.
Right after entering, Ellis added two triples in a hurry as Sacramento forced turnovers as a group.
By the end of the first quarter, it was a tight race. The Kings had 11 assists on 10 field-goals and forced 10 turnovers, but Minnesota led 35-30.
Schroder looked like the player they’d hoped for when signing him to a three-year deal in free agency. The veteran point guard forced an eight-second violation, stepped into jumpers, and found his teammates.
Between him and Westbrook, their initial creators were setting the tone on both ends. It was perhaps the best ball movement of Sacramento’s season outside of their showings in Milwaukee and Oklahoma City.
Sabonis was a beneficiary, uniniminated by Gobert’s length and size. Every time they match up, Sabonis seems to prefer putting his shoulder into the four-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Given his 24 points and seven rebounds on 10/16 shooting at halftime, I’d say it was working. Going into halftime knotted up at 61, the Kings managed 19 assists, 10 offensive rebounds, 12 fast-break points, and 19 points off 10 Timberwolves turnovers.
Westbrook’s eight assists were enough to surpass 10,000 in his career, putting him among elite company.
𝟏𝟎𝐊 𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐄 💪
Russell Westbrook recorded his 10,000th career assist, joining Magic Johnson John Stockton, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, LeBron James, Steve Nash, and Mark Jackson as the only players in NBA history to reach the milestone. pic.twitter.com/O8hZFl4nEF
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 15, 2025
Schroder added 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists while Randle led Minnesota with 14 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Similar to their recent matchup in Sacramento, Anthony Edwards was quiet early. Previously, he came alive in the second, but it was the third frame on Friday night.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch employed a 2-3 zone that seemed to disrupt Sacramento’s offense, something many of their opponents have utilized this season.
Edwards was in MVP form, recording 17 points in the third quarter. Progressed as a mid-range scorer this season, he forced his way to his spot and was fouled upon resistance. He was eight-for-eight from the free-throw line in the third.
LaVine traded with 10 of his own in the frame while Westbrook scored his first points (5) and continued to dish out dimes (5).
That left the scoreboard at 91-92 in favor of the Kings as 12 minutes remained on the clock. Dealing with a close battle on the road, momentum could easily turn in Minnesota’s favor.
A few too many turnovers and a lack of ball movement led to transition triples from Donte DiVincenzo and other Timberwolves.
Putting together a 9-0 run gave them a nine-point advantage (103-94) with nine minutes to play. The Target Center grew louder as the team’s lead did.
Details that were once being executed — such as fouling Gobert at the rim rather than allowing him to finish, boxing out for defensive rebounds — became scarce for the Kings.
Maybe shots not falling caused a trickle-down effect, but they needed more of what had been working in the first half.
Christie closed the game with Schroder, Ellis, LaVine, DeRozan, and Sabonis. It’s a solid grouping considering what’s available, but their lack of size did allow a few costly offensive rebounds.
Good three-point looks were created for Ellis, but he was unable to convert. He was far from the only one, as the Kings had their second stretch of at least three straight minutes without a made field-goal.
Their offense, which looked electric in the first half, had slowed to a snail’s pace. Westbrook eventually replaced Ellis in the final minutes, but the Kings were already trailing by a game-high 16 points.
Prior to a ten-point outburst in the final two minutes, when the game was already out of reach, the Kings had nine points on 4/17 FG in the fourth quarter.
Going ice cold led to a 124-110 loss Friday night in Target Center as Sacramento fell to 3-10 on the season.
Sabonis ended the night with a season-high 31 points on 13/23 shooting, along with 11 rebounds and three assists. Westbrook, starting in place of Schroder, added 13 points and 13 assists while LaVine recorded 22 points of his own.
Despite an impressive 31 assists on 40 field goals, their inability to score in the fourth was too much to overcome.
It’s the fifth straight loss for Sacramento on their first of a five-game road trip that will continue Sunday afternoon against Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and the San Antonio Spurs.
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