Winning at home has been a big point of emphasis since Christie took over as interim coach of the Kings when Mike Brown was fired in December. The Kings did it again in a Thursday night thriller, beating the Houston Rockets 132-127 before a sellout crowd of 18,227 at Golden 1 Center and a national television audience on TNT.

DeMar DeRozan had 33 points, Malik Monk added 26 points and nine assists and the Sacramento Kings beat the Houston Rockets 132-127 on Thursday night.

The Kings were led by veteran forward DeMar DeRozan with 33 points, while standout guard Malik Monk chipped in 26 points and 9 assists. Thursday's matchup was as exciting as many expected it would be with 22 lead changes,

DeMar DeRozan gave Sacramento the lead for good with 2:20 remaining, De'Aaron Fox made five free throws amid two controversial calls in the final 33 seconds, and the host Kings hung on to defeat the Houston Rockets 132-127 on Thursday night.

The Kings and Rockets have met once this season, where Sacramento picked up a nine-point home win. While the Kings are not on their hot streak anymore, they could use another shot of momentum to continue to climb up the Western Conference standings. Thursday's matchup is not a must-win for the Kings, but it would certainly help.

SportsLine's model just revealed its NBA picks and predictions for Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings on Thursday night

Kings interim head coach Doug Christie speaks to reporters following the Sacramento Kings’ 132-127 win over the Houston Rockets on January 16, 2025, at Golden 1 Center.Christie proud of how Kings clos

It’s Thursday, January 16, and the Houston Rockets (27-12) and Sacramento Kings (20-20) are all set to square off from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Rockets are currently 13-5 on the road with a point differential of +6, while the Kings have a 5-5 record in their last ten games at home.

“The Jazz and Kings have conducted exploratory trade talks centered on John Collins,” Forbes’ Evan Sidery shared via Twitter/X on Thursday afternoon. “Sacramento can make salaries work while avoiding the tax by including Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles.”

The Sacramento Kings have been clutch when it counts, going 11-13 in their last 24 showings with five clutch moments in their last ten games.

Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé is part of an ownership group of a new women’s sports league that plans on having a professional team in Sacramento.