Kings nearing franchise record after Clippers extend losing streak to 11 games

Jason Anderson, The Sacramento Bee on Feb 7, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie gave his youngest players another opportunity to close out a close game, but they couldn’t stop the team’s longest losing streak in more than 30 years.

Kawhi Leonard had 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 114-111 victory before a crowd of 16,665 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The Kings lost their 11th game in a row, matching their longest losing streak since the 1991-92 season. The franchise record for consecutive losses is 14, set by the Cincinnati Royals in 1959-60 and matched by the Royals in 1970-71. The Sacramento-era record for consecutive losses is 12, set during the 1997-98 season.

Christie hates losing and often refers to himself as a “poor sport,” but he is giving Devin Carter, Daeqwon Plowden and rookies Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell increased opportunities as the organization leans into a youth movement.

“For me, it’s extremely tough (to lose), but that’s part of the job, so I just get back at it and try to gameplan and figure out how to put them in the best position to get a win,” Christie said. “But the value for these young players is incredible, so I’m proud of them to watch them continue to go out and grow and compete at a high level in high-leverage moments. You don’t get those opportunities. They’re finding their way.”

John Collins had 22 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers (24-27). Brook Lopez and Kris Dunn scored 15 points apiece.

Malik Monk scored 18 points to lead the Kings (12-41). Clifford had 16 points. Cardwell, an undrafted rookie center, posted his second double-double with career highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds. Carter also scored 14 points while Carter added 12.

Plowden, who has appeared in four games this season, was asked about guarding Leonard, who went 9 of 19 from the field and 1 of 4 from 3-point range.

“Well, first, it’s exciting,” Plowden said. “It’s a blessing to be here, but to have that kind of assignment, it’s major. It allows me to take pride and just acknowledge the amount of work I’ve put in to get to this point. Kawhi is a great player and it was exciting to take on that challenge tonight.”

Kings center Domantas Sabonis was ruled out shortly before the game due to lower back soreness. Forward De’Andre Hunter, who was playing his second game since the Kings acquired him from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade, left the game after suffering a left eye injury late in the third quarter.

The beginning of the game was a struggle for both teams. They combined for eight points over the first four minutes. The Kings missed 11 of their first 14 shots while going 0 of 6 from 3-point range. The Kings went 5 of 12 but missed their first five from beyond the arc.

The Kings finally came alive when Monk came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers in a span of 1:55, scoring nine consecutive points to put Sacramento up 27-17 at the end of the first quarter. The Kings led 49-48 at the halftime break.

The Kings trailed 79-77 at the end of the third quarter. They started the fourth with Monk, Clifford, Carter, Plowden and Cardwell on the floor. They ended the game with Clifford, Carter, Plowden, Cardwell and Raynaud while starters Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and De’Andre Hunter sat out the entire fourth quarter.

Cardwell’s new contract

Cardwell played his first game since the Kings gave him a full-time roster spot, converting his two-way contract to a standard NBA contract.

Before the game, Christie was asked how proud he is of the progress Cardwell has made since going undrafted out of Auburn.

“He earned that through really, really hard work with a lot of good development down in the G League and here with our coaches,” Christie said. “The kid has done a hell of a job. I don’t know that proud is the word because it goes beyond that. I’m proud of him and proud for him because he did the work. Kudos to him because that doesn’t happen often and he affects winning.”

Up next

The Kings will be back in action Saturday when they play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers on the second. Sacramento is 2-7 this season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Cavaliers (31-21) have won seven of their last eight games after beating the Clippers 124-91 on Wednesday.