Doug Christie hints at a change in the starting lineup after the loss to the Rockets

The Sacramento Kings were blown out 121-95 by the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center. Although Sacramento led by a point at halftime, Houston cruised through the third quarter, outscoring the Kings 36-19 and ending the stretch with a 30-8 run over the final eight minutes.

New center Maxime Reynaud was the only King who managed to rise above the rubble. Off the bench, the 22-year-old impressed with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, six rebounds and three assists, including two 3-pointers. His previous high of 19 points came just four nights earlier against the Utah Jazz, and he also contributed nine points and six rebounds against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Sacramento coach Doug Christie acknowledged Raynaud’s potential to earn a starting roleafter the loss, saying:

“Absolutely. It’s a definite, definite thought. I was thinking about (working) tonight. … I’m definitely thinking about it. Going forward, everything is on the table,” (h/t Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee).

The Kings were forced to play without Domantas Sabonis, who is still dealing with a partially torn left meniscus.

Sacramento’s frontcourt had its hands full against the Rockets’ imposing lineup, especially Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun. Houston wiped the glass 62–32 and punished the Kings 78–46.

Malik Monk also contributed 25 points, 14 in the fourth quarter, but Sacramento could not overcome the offensive avalanche unleashed by the Rockets, led by Sengun 28, Kevin Durant 24 and Amen Thompson 20.

The Kings’ star scorers, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, were ineffective. LaVine managed just two points, shooting 1 of 5 and playing just 5:13 in the second half, while DeRozan’s 12 points came before halftime. In a pivotal moment, Russell Westbrook had eight points and five assists, passing Tim Duncan for 17th on the all-time scoring list during the second quarter.

Sacramento’s offense lacked flow, slowed by turnovers and poor spacing. The Kings entered the contest last in the NBA in three-pointers made and led the league in mid-range attempts per game. Given the fact that Sabonis’ return is still a week or two away, Christie could consider tweaking the starting lineup to include Raynaud’s scoring and spacing.

Christie rotated a bench-heavy unit late in the fourth, including Rayno, Monk, Keon Ellis, Nick Clifford and Keegan Murray, trying to start a fire that never caught.

It was Sacramento’s fourth straight loss, dropping to 5-17 on the season. The Kings have two more games remaining on their current road, against the Miami Heat on Saturday and the Indiana Pacers on Monday, before returning home to host the Denver Nuggets on December 11.