The Sacramento Kings secured a 123-119 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, handing the Eastern Conference leaders their third straight loss.
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, including crucial baskets in the final minutes, to help the Kings (35-33) overcome a slow start. Malik Monk added 20 points as Sacramento won its second straight game despite missing Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.
Cleveland (56-13) struggled to hold onto an early lead despite Evan Mobley’s 31-point performance. Mobley scored 22 points in the final 15 minutes, but the Cavaliers could not stop Sacramento’s late push. Donovan Mitchell contributed 26 points, while Dean Wade had 12.
The Kings fell behind by 13 in the first quarter after missing 17 of their first 19 shots. They responded in the second half, led by a season-high 16 points from rookie Devin Carter. Sacramento shot 50.5% from the field and made 16 three-pointers, including key shots from Keegan Murray and Trey Lyles.
Cleveland’s struggles continued without Darius Garland, who was resting. The Cavaliers matched their longest losing streak of the season after previously winning 16 in a row.
Sacramento took a 109-107 lead in the fourth quarter after a 7-0 run, highlighted by DeRozan’s three-pointer and Carter’s steal-and-dunk sequence. The Kings held off Cleveland’s comeback attempts with clutch free throws down the stretch.
Despite their early shooting woes, Sacramento’s balanced scoring and aggressive defense helped them close out one of their biggest wins of the season.
