Sacramento becomes the first team to reach the unfortunate milestone in 2026

The Sacramento Kings‘ Saturday night unfolded like a chronicle of misfortune, as they lost at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-126. With the loss, Sacramento fell to 12-42 on the season and tied the longest losing streak in the Sacramento era at 12 games, which was first set by the team in 1997-98. This also made the Kings the first team this year to hit a 42-loss record, guaranteed finishing under .500 for the season, according to ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel.

In a game that showcased both Sacramento’s struggles and its budding talent, the Kings relied on their younger players due to injuries and cautious rotations. Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk were all out, forcing Sacramento to open with its 27th different starting lineup of the season. The group included Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, two-way player Daekwon Plowden, rookie Maxime Reynaud and Nick Clifford, who shined on a career night.

Clifford, the 24th overall pick in last summer’s draft, led all Kings scorers with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including five 3-pointers, while adding four rebounds, four assists and two steals and a block. With this performance, he became the third rookie in Kings history to score 30 points with at least five 3-pointers in a single contest, joining Ricky Barry and Keegan Murray. Also, Devin Carter took advantage of the extra minutes on the floor, recording a career-best 18 points with four rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal.

Sacramento’s young big men continued to show promise. Rayno contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, while undrafted rookie Dylan Cardwell had his second straight double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Plowden finished his first career NBA start with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. In all, seven Kings reached double figures.

Sacramento’s early 11-point spurt and dogged resistance couldn’t deter Cleveland, whose newly minted pair of superstars dictated the outcome. Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points, Jarrett Allen added 29 points and 10 rebounds, and James Harden, making his debut for the Cavaliers after the Darius Garland trade to Los Angeles, scored 23 points with eight assists. Harden’s mastery was on full display in the fourth, scoring 15 of his 19 points and making key free throws in the final seconds.

Cleveland’s other post-deadline additions faced their former team. Dennis Schroder scored seven points with four assists in 17 minutes, while Keon Ellis added six points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The loss highlighted the rise of the Kings, who have had just two winning seasons since 2006-07, while also revealing the bright side of their young roster.

Looking ahead, Sacramento will begin a two-game road trip before the All-Star break, against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday and the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. The Kings currently have a 52% chance of being selected in the top four and a 14% chance of being the number one overall pick.