DeMar DeRozan gets completely honest about Sacramento’s 3-game winning streak

In a 112-101 win against the New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings defeated the team in the playoffs for the third time in a row. Kings coach Doug Christie called it grown-up basketball after a 12-point win against the Knicks, which came on the heels of wins against the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.

DeRozan pointed to the Kings’ impressive streak as a testament to his in-game team adjustmentshe said, according to Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento.

“I think we’re just getting into a rhythm, playing well together, playing extremely hard,” DeRozan said. “Thinking things through, trying to put it together during the game. It’s a collective effort of the players and the coaching staff, trying to figure it out, trying to string together wins.”

Is this the best basketball the Kings have played this season?

“Yeah, no question. It has to be. We played three great teams that are playing well. We went out there, played well on both ends, we closed out the quarters, we did a lot of things that we weren’t doing. So it’s up to us to continue that.”

DeMar DeRozan talks about the Kings’ 3-game winning streak, the high level he’s playing at, seeing Sacramento’s best against higher-echelon opponents, Dylan Cardwell’s brilliance and Kevin Garnett moving into 22nd place on the NBA’s all-time list. pic.twitter.com/5ZNg2rUvgm

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) January 15, 2026

The Kings defeated the Knicks, Rockets and Lakers – three higher-ranked teams from their respective conferences – by double digits. DeRozan led the Kings with 27 points on 7-of-16 shooting and 5-for-7 free throws in Sacramento’s 11-point win against New York.

Did Zach LaVine cause the Kings’ recent turnaround?

Before DeMar DeRozan led the Kings to their three-game winning streak, Zach LaVine kept it alive in a 137-103 loss to the Warriors. Speaking of the 34-point margin, LaVine reminded reporters that the Kings shouldn’t focus on how wide the margin of loss will be, but instead on trying to earn a win.

Closing quarters has been a significant stumbling block for the Kings this season, a fault they have rectified in their three impressive wins this week. LaVine kept 100 after the Kings loss, while talking about competing at a high level, per Brenden Nunes of Sacctown Sports.

“You don’t get points for keeping things close in this league. You’re supposed to keep it competitive and get down and figure out how to win, and we did nothing but the opposite of that,” LaVine said after the loss, per Sacctown Sports.

The Kings haven’t lost a game since.