DeMar DeRozan became the 27th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points, but the Sacramento Kings suffered a 128-116 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Coby White scored 35 points for the Bulls (30-40). Former Kings guard Kevin Huerter had 25 points, five rebounds and seven assists in his return to Sacramento.
Malik Monk scored 34 points for the Kings (35-34), who lost on the second night of a back-to-back after knocking off the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
DeRozan had 22 points, four rebounds and five assists. Trey Lyles came off the bench to post 22 points and six rebounds.
Huerter and Kings guard Zach LaVine faced their former teams for the first time since trading places in the three-team deal that sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs. LaVine was held to eight points on 2-of-9 shooting.
DeRozan, who spent the past three seasons with the Bulls, entered the game with 24,983 points. He reached the milestone on one of his patented turnaround mid-range jumpers with 1:56 to play in the third quarter.
“It’s always an honor,” DeRozan said. “It’s an honor, period, to be able to play this game at a high level. My 16th year, being able to be recognized in the top whatever it is of scorers in this league.
“I’ve been a fan of this league since I was a kid. I have nothing but love and respect for all the people who came before and all the people who go through the league, and to be able to be mentioned in any type of history in this league is an honor.”
Monk couldn’t help but marvel at DeRozan’s milestone.
“A lot of people don’t ge tot the NBA, for him to do that is crazy,” Monk said. “I’m mad we didn’t get the win for him. A lot of people won’t do that. Hats off to DeMar. That’s why he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame.”
The Kings will return to action Saturday when they play host to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Halftime report
The Kings led 39-28 after going 11 of 17 from 3-point range in the first period. Monk scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from long distance, including 12 points in the first four minutes. Lyles came off the bench to score 12 points in his first four minutes of action, going 4 of 4 from beyond the arc. Monk and Lyles both tied their career highs for 3-pointers made in a quarter.
The Kings led by as many as 19 in the second quarter and carried a 64-55 advantage into the halftime break. Chicago outshot Sacramento 50% to 46.5%, but the Kings went 13 of 27 from 3-point range while the Bulls went 4 of 14.
Monk led all scorers with 19 points. Lyles had 14.
Second half
Chicago cut the deficit to one after outscoring Sacramento 14-6 to start the second half. The Bulls tied the game on a basket by White with 4:18 to play in the third quarter and took the lead on a three-point play by White a moment later.
The Bulls led 92-89 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Kings went up 101-99 on a three-point play by Jake LaRavia with 9:14 remaining, but they found themselves trailing 119-109 following a basket by White with 3:32 remaining.
The Kings still had a chance after DeRozan scored to cut the deficit to six with 2:51 to go, but Huerter hit back-to-back corner 3-pointers to seal Sacramento’s fate.
Up next
The Kings will continue their seven-game homestand when they entertain the Bucks on Saturday.
The Bucks (38-30) are fifth in the Eastern Conference. They had lost two in a row and five of seven going into Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 9:55 PM.
