The Sacramento Kings have finally ended a franchise-record 16-game losing streak, a period of futility that surpassed their previous worst of 14 games when the team was known as the Cincinnati Royals. The arduous streak concluded Monday night with a 123-114 victory over the injury-plagued Memphis Grizzlies. The win brought a significant sense of relief to the team, as acknowledged by coach Doug Christie and veteran players.

Reflecting on the streak, Sacramento coach Doug Christie stated, "Obviously, you do not want that with your name. But there are points in this where I'm really proud of how our guys continued to evolve." Guard DeMar DeRozan echoed this sentiment, expressing, "Nobody wants to lose, especially the streak that we were on. I just felt good to get that monkey off your back." The Kings' last victory before this win was on January 16, a 125-115 home win against Washington. Their previous road win was on December 6 against Miami, and their only road win against a Western Conference opponent this season had been on November 22 over Denver.

The Kings secured the win against Memphis thanks to a strong fourth-quarter performance, notably from veteran Russell Westbrook and two-way player Daeqwon Plowden. Both players contributed 10 points in the final period, accounting for 20 of the Kings' 24 points in the fourth quarter. Westbrook finished the game with 25 points, marking his fourth game with at least 25 points this season and his first since the team's last win on January 16. DeRozan and Plowden each tallied 19 points in the critical victory.

The preceding four losses of the streak had been particularly disheartening, with the Kings suffering defeats by an average margin of 27 points. However, against the Grizzlies, Sacramento managed to withstand Memphis's short bursts of offense, consistently preventing them from narrowing the lead to less than seven points in the final five minutes of the game. Coach Christie shared the mental toll of the streak, saying, "We've had this opportunity to get through it many, many times. Sometimes, it just keeps getting you, and then in your head you're thinking: 'When's that moment going to come?'"

Despite the end of the prolonged losing streak, players indicated there was no grand celebration in the locker room. While cautious about declaring it a turning point for the remainder of the season, a palpable sense of relief permeated the team. Rookie center Maxime Raynaud, who contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds, remarked, "It gives us a good momentum. On top of that, it lifts the spirts up a little bit. I'm glad that we finally broke it, and hopefully, we can start a winning streak the other way."