Kings’ 2024-25 season comes to embarrassing end in loss to Mavs

During Monday night’s pregame starting lineup introductions, an energized Golden 1 Center sounded off as the Sacramento Kings prepared to play a win-or-go-home Play-In game.

Unfortunately for the Kings, the atmosphere during intros would be the lone highlight of the night.

Sacramento fell flat in embarrassing fashion during a season-ending 120-106 loss to the Dallas Mavericks–a team that has been on a downswing since trading away superstar Luka Doncic midseason and losing All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to a torn ACL last month.

Even though the Mavericks have been on the receiving end of criticism over the past couple of months, it wasn’t reflected in their on-court performance as they put the Kings in a double-digit hole in the second quarter and never looked back.

For Sacramento, all eyes will now turn to an offseason of uncertainty that could feature a head coaching search, the hiring of a new GM, roster changes, and much more.

The Beam is retired for the summer, and we could be looking at a very different version of the Sacramento Kings come the next time that it’s lit.

BIG TO BIG.

AD TO LIVELY II. pic.twitter.com/fqJU142iJ1

— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025

Kings vs. Mavs recap & takeaways

Dallas took advantage of a cold start from the Sacramento offense by opening things up with a 17-10 run over the first six minutes of action, but DeMar DeRozan injected life into Golden 1 Center to halt the Mavericks’ momentum.

DeRozan finished with nine points in the opening period and paced a 15-6 Kings run that erased an early deficit and put Sacramento back in front.

While DeRozan’s scoring burst helped Sacramento stop the bleeding for the time being, the offensive woes resurfaced in the second period. Dallas opened the quarter with a 20-6 run as the Kings struggled to create good looks on their end of the floor.

Klay Thompson, who suffered through an 0-of-10 (0-of-6 from three-point range) performance during last year’s Play-In Game while with Golden State, redeemed himself before the end of the first half by pouring in 16 points–all in the second quarter–to put Sacramento in a double-digit hole.

The Mavericks outscored the Kings 44-19 in the second while shooting a blistering 68 percent from the field. Sacramento continuously shot itself in the foot by making inexcusable turnovers (10 in the quarter) that led to 12 Dallas points in transition.

“You just can’t throw the ball around the gym, man,” interim head coach Doug Christie said of the lapses. “All of a sudden, we just lost our mind.”

Saying it was a disappointing start would be an understatement, especially when you factor in that:

1. Sacramento was the higher seed and hosted the game with a sold-out crowd.
2. Dallas has been in a tailspin since trading Luka Doncic, and ended the season losing five of their last six games.
3. The Kings should have been playing with much more urgency on the defensive end, especially on the perimeter, but the Mavs started the night 10-of-20 in the first half.

Boo birds started flying around Golden 1 Center as Sacramento faced a 71-48 deficit and the growing reality that an offseason of change was approaching much quicker than intended.

KLAY THOMPSON IS CATCHING FIRE ‼️

That’s 4 triples in a 3-minute span 👀 https://t.co/cweKm2LbEY pic.twitter.com/35VQwWxuM4

— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2025

Outside of a couple of brief stretches that saw the Kings trim the deficit into the teens, Dallas never lost control in the second half as they coasted to a stress-free victory.

DeRozan continued to act as the Sacramento offense, finishing the night with 33 points in the loss–but that would be the lone bright spot–if you want to call it that–as the rest of the Kings’ lineup struggled.

Zach LaVine finished the night eight-of-19 from the field, while Domantas Sabonis scored 11 points while turning the ball over five times.

Of course, Sacramento’s three-point defense that entered the night ranked dead last in the NBA in opponent three-point field goal percentage (38%) loomed large, with the Mavericks finishing this one by making 14 of their 28 attempts from downtown.

Poor three-point defense. Lack of consistency from the main contributors. Similar trends from the regular season came back to bite the Kings in a single-elimination game when the lights were brightest.

Wednesday night’s showing was a parting gut-punch to the Sacramento fanbase–one that has gone through an emotional rollercoaster this season following the surprising move to fire 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year winner Mike Brown–with multiple years and nearly $30 million left on his contract–and potential franchise-altering trade of De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio.

Changes could happen quickly–they typically do in the NBA, and if the Kings’ intention is to compete in 2025-26, they will need to lock in a clear direction and stick with it heading into the offseason.

Will Doug Christie get the interim tag lifted from the head coaching position, or will the Kings seek a coach with more experience?

Those questions will be answered in the very near future–but if one thing is certain, it’s that Christie wants to return next season.

“This is where I want to be. I think you guys know that. I need to finish what I started.”

“Probably the most I’ve been through in my 16 years in the league. It’s been a lot.” – DeMar DeRozan on his season with Sacramento.

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) April 17, 2025

What’s next for the Sacramento Kings?

The Kings will head into an uncertain offseason that could once again bring widespread change in the coming weeks and months.

Sacramento will need to establish whether interim head coach Doug Christie will retain the position moving forward, while also looking to hire a new general manager after moving on from 2022-23 Executive of the Year winner Monte McNair.

Once the Kings lock in their head coach and front office leader, they will have to improve a roster that likely will not hold a first-round draft pick in June (owed to Atlanta via the 2023 Kevin Huerter trade).

Several members of the current roster, including All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis and future Hall of Fame forward DeMar DeRozan, are expected to meet with the organization to gauge their future.

Can this current core be salvaged? Is it time to move into a rebuild? What’s the best path forward for the Beam Team?

Buckle up for a busy offseason in Sacramento.

Upcoming schedule for the Sacramento Kings

• Sunday, April 20th – Start of the NBA Playoffs
• Monday, May 12th – NBA Draft Lottery
• Wednesday, June 25th – 2025 NBA Draft
• Monday, June 30th – NBA free agent negotiations can begin
• Sunday, July 6th – NBA free agents can officially sign with teams
• July 10th-20th – Las Vegas NBA Summer League
• August TBD – Release of 2025-26 regular season schedule
• September TBD – Start of NBA training camps for the 2025-26 season

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