After stacking bad night after bad night, the Sacramento Kings walked into FedExForum chasing stability. Instead, they delivered a night that stunned even seasoned reporters, as the Kings unraveled in one of the strangest statistical meltdowns of the season during a 96-137 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The collapse was shocking enough. But the box score made it historic. As insider James Ham noted, all 11 Kings players who stepped on the court finished at -10 or worse in plus-minus. Not one found a way out of the spiral. The loss also marked Sacramento’s eighth straight defeat, all of them ugly, all by double digits, dropping the Doug Christie's Kings to a painful 3-13 start.
The Kings opened the game with rhythm. Shots fell early. The pace looked promising. But once the Grizzlies tightened their pressure, the Kings lost control of every area. Keon Ellis finished as the improbable “best” at -10. Russell Westbrook sank to -28, just days after etching his name in the history books. The rest of the rotation landed in the same grim territory. No adjustment slowed Memphis. No lineup held steady. Every stretch felt the same: a steady wave of Grizzlies momentum that pushed the score deeper into blowout territory.
A Stunning Kings Collapse That Left Doug Christie Searching for Answers
Doug Christie carried the weight of the moment postgame. His tone was steady. His message was direct. The Kings were outplayed in every meaningful category, and their defensive breakdowns kept feeding Memphis easy points. Rotations lagged. Closeouts missed by inches. Even bench energy, usually a lifeline, disappeared as the deficit ballooned.
For the Kings players, the aftermath brings a harsh truth. A 41-point loss always stings, but a box score this unprecedented adds another layer. It forces reflection. It challenges pride. And with eight straight double-digit losses pushing them to 3-13, the question grows louder: after a night this ugly, what kind of response will the Kings deliver next?
