The Sacramento Kings won on the road against the Houston Rockets 121-118 on Wednesday night. It was a battle at the bottom as both teams are in a race for last place, only separated by two seeds in the lower end of the Western Conference. The Kings continue to miss their key tandem in Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, giving an extended audition to the cast of role players around typically around them to eat minutes.

It didn’t take long for the young Rockets to garner a double-digit lead, hitting the gas on an 8-0 run late in the first quarter. The competition between each team’s respective rookies was highly entertaining, as both clubs were on the receiving end of some stellar content for the highlight reels, including an emphatic poster from Davion Mitchell.

OH MY DAVION pic.twitter.com/FAvroUomjv

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 31, 2022

It looked like blouses for Sacramento as they fell behind by 15 points, only to carry a 16-3 run giving them a chance to tie and find their groove defensively for the rest of the contest. While Houston certainly carried the cadence of the ball game, the Mitchell-Damian Jones offense gave the Kings a chance to bounce back with strong play around the rim.

Trey Lyles proved to be effective yet again, scoring 16 points in this first half of play. The Kings were able to swing a lead heading into the locker room 72-66 with momentum heading their way.

Four fouls led Jones to the bench early in the third quarter, making room for Chimezie Metu and Harrison Barnes to get in on the offensive prowess. Defense fell short, allowing for the likes of Green and Kevin Porter Jr. to sustain a comeback for Houston. The contest was within striking distance down the stretch, as both teams struggled for field goals in the fourth frame badly. Just as it began, the Mitchell-Jones pick and roll fed the team in a victory, advancing the offense when things were feeling stale.

The Kings will remain in H-Town for a rematch on Friday evening in their fourth and final meeting of the season.