DeMar DeRozan cracks top 20 on NBA scoring list in Kings’ loss to Rockets
Three of the greatest scorers in NBA history met when the Sacramento Kings visited the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Russell Westbrook had a huge first quarter and DeMar DeRozan climbed two spots to crack the top 20 on the career scoring list, but Kevin Durant helped the Rockets roll to an easy victory.
Reed Sheppard scored 28 points and Alperen Sengun recorded a double-double to lead the Rockets to a 128-97 victory over the Kings before a sellout crowd of 18,055 at Toyota Center in Houston.
Sengun finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets (36-21), who are third in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Durant, who is closing in on Michael Jordan for fifth on the all-time scoring list, had 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
Russell Westbrook scored 22 points for the Kings (13-47), who showed little life 48 hours after snapping a franchise-record 16-game losing streak. DeRozan and Nique Clifford scored 15 points apiece. Maxime Raynaud had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Keegan Murray left the game with a left ankle injury late in the first quarter and did not return.
DeRozan made a free throw with 3:56 remaining in the first half to pass John Havlicek for 21st on the career scoring list. He hit a pull-up jumper with 2:29 remaining to pass Paul Pierce for 20th.
The Rockets shot 54% from the field while going 17 of 39 (.436) from 3-point range. The Kings shot just 39.8% and went 7 of 31 (.226) from beyond the arc.
Sheppard went 7 of 16 from 3-point range.
“He’s a hot shooter, and we know he’s a hot shooter,” Kings coach Doug Christie told reporters in Houston. “He was in the scouting report as a hot shooter. Once he’s seen a couple go in, it’s lights out. Now he’s hunting them.”
Westbrook, who is 14th on the all-time scoring list, scored 17 points in the first quarter, but the rest of the team struggled to put points on the board. Westbrook went 8 of 14 from the field in the first period while the rest of the team went 1 of 10.
The Rockets led 33-22 at the end of the first quarter and went up by 30 in the second. They carried a 77-50 advantage into the halftime break and led by as many as 36 in the second half.
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 10:47 PM.
