A defensive effort game? The Kings gave the Timberwolves a run for their money Sunday night at Target Center. Unfortunately, they couldn't get enough shots to fall as they dropped their third straight. Here are six quick thoughts from a 117-103 loss:

Kings shake off a bad start to the third, trail 88-84 heading to the fourth. Monk leads the way with 16 points. DeRozan has 14 points. 12 points for Schröder and 11 for Achiuwa. The bench has 39 points.

From Kings: INJURY UPDATE vs. Minnesota Timberwolves 12/14 Zach LaVine (Left Ankle) - WILL NOT RETURN

Kings lead 52-51 heading to the half in Minnesota. LaVine and DeRozan each have 10 points. 8 points, 6 rebounds for Raynaud. Westbrook has 8 points and 8 assists. Achiuwa has 7 off the bench.

Kings lead the T-Wolves 27-20 after 1Q. Max Raynaud leads with 7 points. 6 points for DeMar DeRozan. 10 points off the Kings bench. Kings hold the Timberwolves to 37.5% shooting and block 4 shots.

Starters:

Kings injury report for this morning: Keon Ellis is available. Dennis Schroder is questionable. Domantas Sabonis and Drew Eubanks are out.

Drew Eubanks suffered an avulsion fracture of the left thumb. He will be reevaluated in 3 weeks.

Emptied out early. The Kings dropped their second straight game Thursday night at Golden 1 Center and it was another blow out. There were some boos and a few chants of "Sell the team" as the Kings fell to the Nuggets 136-105. Here are six quick thoughts:

Kings trail 109-81 heading to the fourth. Devin Carter playing well off the bench with 7 points and 2 assists in 9 minutes.

Kings getting crushed at the half. It's 77-54 Nuggets. 17 points for Westbrook. 11 points for DeRozan. Murray and Monk each have 9 points and Raynaud has 8. Kings finish the half with 7 assists.

From Kings: INJURY UPDATE vs. Denver Nuggets 12/11 Drew Eubanks (Right Thumb) - WILL NOT RETURN

Kings trail big after 1Q. It's 41-26 Nuggets. Malik Monk leads with 9 points. Westbrook has 6 points and DeRozan has 5 points. Jokic has 16 to pace Denver.

Starters:

From Kings: OFFICIAL: Sacramento Kings recall Nique Clifford from the Stockton Kings.

A game of runs. The Kings looked like they were going to get blown out in Indiana. They recovered and even took a lead in the fourth quarter, but the Pacers kept fighting. In the end, it was another loss for Sacramento, this one by a final of 116-105. Here are six quick thoughts:

Kings cut into the Pacers lead, trail 92-88 heading to the fourth. Westbrook has a triple-double. DeRozan leads with 18 points. 16 for LaVine and 13 for Raynaud. Good fight after falling behind big.

Kings trail big in Indy heading to the half. It's 66-51 Pacers. DeRozan leads with 10 points. Westbrook has 9 points and LaVine has 8. Kings shoot 41.3% from the field.

Kings trail the Pacers 35-23 after 1Q. 18-6 run from Indiana to end the period. Murray and Westbrook each have 5 points. 4 points each for DeRozan and LaVine. Kings committed 7 personal fouls that led to 13 free throws for the Pacers.

From the Kings: MEDICAL UPDATE vs. Indiana Pacers, 12/8 Domantas Sabonis (Left Knee Partial Torn Meniscus) - OUT Dennis Schröder (Right Hip Flexor Strain) - OUT Keegan Murray (Right Trap Soreness) - AVAILABLE

According to the NBA's injury report, Keegan Murray is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game with right trapezius soreness. Dennis Schröder is questionable with a right hip flexor strain. Domantas Sabonis is out with a partial meniscus tear in his left knee.

One half of hoops. The Kings played a gritty 24 minutes Wednesday night in Houston. Unfortunately, an NBA game is 48 minutes long. The Rockets turned up the heat and the Kings never adjusted as they fell by the final of 121-95. Here are six quick thoughts:

Kings outscored 36-19 in the third, trail 87-71 heading the fourth in Houston. Raynaud leads with 18 points. DeRozan and Westbrook each have 12 points. 11 for Monk off the bench.

Really gritty first half from the Kings. They lead the Rockets 52-51. Maxime Raynaud leads the Kings with 14 points. DeRozan has 12 points. 8 points and 4 assists for Westbrook and 8 points and 4 rebounds for Achiuwa.

From Kings: With his field goal at the 7:03 mark of Q2 tonight at HOU, Russell Westbrook passed Tim Duncan (26,496) for 17th on the NBA's all-time scoring leaders list.

Kings trail the Rockets 28-26 after 1Q. Huge first quarter for rookie Maxime Raynaud with 12 points. Westbrook has 6 points. 4 points for Achiuwa.

Starters:

We are going live with a new episode of The Kings Beat Podcast in just a few minutes. Join Sean Cunningham, Brenden Nunes and myself. www.youtube.com/live/CFxHepb...

Thud. The Kings are once against spiraling. They hosted the Grizzlies on Sunday night and for the third straight ballgame couldn't keep up. Memphis, behind 7-foot-3 center Zach Edey, were just too big and came away with the 115-107 win. Here are six quick thoughts:

Starters dug a hole, second unit filled it back up. It's 87-83 Kings heading to the fourth. Malik Monk leads with 19 points. Achiuwa has 11 points and 7 rebounds. 17 points for DeRozan and 16 for LaVine.

Kings trail the Grizzlies 62-59 heading to the half. LaVine leads the way with 14 points. Precious Achiuwa has 9 points and 5 boards off the bench. Malik Monk has 10 points and DeMar DeRozan has 8. Second unit has carried the team so far.

Second unit digs the Kings out of a hole. It's 35-31 Kings after 1Q following a Nique Clifford buzzer beater. LaVine leads with 9 points. Achiuwa has 7 points and Clifford has 5.

Starters:

From the Kings: MEDICAL UPDATE vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 11/30 Domantas Sabonis (Left Knee Partial Torn Meniscus) - OUT Dennis Schröder (Right Hip Flexor Strain) - OUT

Dennis Schroder had an MRI that revealed a mild hip flexor strain. He is questionable for tomorrow’s game.

Too many lapses. The Kings have zero margin for error and when they relax even a little bit on the defensive end, it's game over. After a competitive first half in Utah, the Kings fell apart late, losing by a final of 128-119 to the Jazz.Here are six quick thoughts:

Third quarter collapse for the Kings. They trail 90-73 heading to the fourth in Utah. Zach LaVine leads with 18 points. Keegan Murray has 17 and DeMar DeRozan has 14 points. Just 10 points off the bench for Sacramento tonight.

Kings trail the Jazz 62-51 heading to the half. Utah finishes on a 7-0 run. Keegan Murray and Zach LaVine each have 14 points. 8 points and 5 assists for Russell Westbrook.

Kings trail 30-27 after 1Q in Utah. Keegan Murray leads the way with 8 points. 5 points each for LaVine and Westbrook.

Starters:

You can't start playing after halftime. The Kings walked out on the floor and looked like a team that was already sitting at Thanksgiving dinner. They recovered in the second half slightly, but still lost to the Suns by a final of 112-100. Here are six quick thoughts:

The Kings rally in the third, trail the Suns 83-73 heading to the fourth. Westbrook leads with 16 points. Murray has 15 points and 8 rebounds. Malik Monk got hot to end the third and has 13.

Kings finish the first half with 5 total assists. They trail the Suns 67-45 in an ugly one at Golden 1. Westbrook has 12 points. Kings turned the ball over 12 times leading to 17 points for the Suns. They also gave up 12 second chance points.

Suns end the first quarter on an 11-0 run. 41-16 Suns lead. Fans are booing loudly as the teams head back to the bench. Keegan Murray leads with 7 points. 5 points to Westbrook and 4 for DeRozan. Those three are the only Kings to register a point. ZERO assists for the Kings.

From the Kings: MEDICAL UPDATE vs. Phoenix Suns, 11/26 Domantas Sabonis (Left Knee Partial Torn Meniscus) - OUT Dennis Schröder (Right Hip Soreness) - OUT

The beam in the fog. Kings find a way to pick up their second straight win. Keegan Murray is growing up. DeMar DeRozan put on a show and passed Alex English for 24th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Free hoops. The Kings and Timberwolves put on an absolute show Monday night at Golden 1 Center. It took an extra five minutes to come up with a winner, but it was the home team that held on for a stunning 117-112 victory. Here are six quick thoughts as the Kings win a second straight:

Kings continue to battle. They trail the T-Wolves 82-77 heading to the fourth. DeRozan leads the way with 19 points. Murray has 17 points and 6 boards. No other Kings player is in double figure scoring. 9 assists for Schröder.

Kings trail 54-46 heading to the half. Keegan Murray has 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. 9 points for DeMar DeRozan. 6 points for Precious Achiuwa and 5 points for Zach LaVine. Kings shoot just 41.5% from the field.

Great recovery after a very slow start for the Kings. They trail the Timberwolves 27-23 after 1Q. DeRozan leads with 7 points. Murray has 5 points and 3 rebounds. 4 points each for Schröder and Monk off the bench.