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Welcome to your morning cup of Kings. Uh oh, we have a win streak. Two games is a streak, right?

Game 66 of the regular season was interesting to say the least. Not just because Joey Fatone from NSYNC sat to the left of Vivek Ranadivé and rapper 50 Cent sat to his right. Fatone even performed a halftime show on a Tuesday night in Sacramento.

The game had intrigue because the Kings were facing another 15-win team in the Indiana Pacers and they trailed by double digits for most of the night. It wasn’t until the late third quarter that the Kings showed any life at all on their home court and that energy came from an unlikely source.

After sitting on the bench the entire first half, second-year guard Devin Carter stepped on the court with around four minutes remaining in the third quarter. He took a couple of minutes to get in the flow of the game, but when the Kings opened the fourth quarter, Carter came alive.

The former lottery pick scored 22 of his career-high 24 points in the fourth as the Kings erased a 10-point deficit to come away with a 114-109 victory. Carter ran a team-high +21 for the game and the eye test matched every bit of that plus/minus number.

“It’s definitely not easy, but everything happens for a reason — just trust God and trust his plans,“ Carter said of biding his time and waiting for his opportunity. “I’m glad I got an opportunity tonight, more importantly, I’m glad we got the dub and hopefully we keep rolling.“

This was just the 63rd game played by Carter in his career after being drafted with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. A shoulder injury forced him to miss the first half of last season, but he has struggled to gain traction in the Kings rotation both to end last season and throughout the first 66 games of this year.

Even in this game Carter was glued to the bench with the Kings choosing to play Killian Hayes, who is on a 10-day contract, over the 24-year-old guard. When Malik Monk injured an ankle in the second quarter, it opened the door for Carter to get a look and he took full advantage of the moment.

“You try to pour in love on all of them…it doesn’t go exactly how everybody wants it all the time, but one of the things is always — stay ready,” head coach Doug Christie said following the game. “And to Devin’s credit, and that’s all to his credit, that’s him staying ready, being aggressive, being confident and at the same time, playing team basketball. That was one hell of a performance and he gets all of the credit.“

Carter rolled an ankle late and then felt pain in his shin in the final moments of the game, so his availability for Wednesday’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets is in question, but for one night, he was a star.

It’s possible that this is a turning point for Carter. He is still young enough to get his career back on the right path and clearly he has talent. With 16 games remaining in the season, it's a youth movement in Sacramento and that should include Carter just so the Kings know what they have moving into the summer.

Here is the latest Locked On Kings where we dive into game coverage, plus links to postgame media sessions with Carter, Maxime Raynaud and head coach Doug Christie.

With NSYNC's Joey Fatone sitting courtside with rapper 50 Cent, the Sacramento Kings came out flatter than Kyrie Irving's Earth. In a battle of two 15-win teams, the visiting Pacers showed life, until Devin Carter happened. Here are six quick thoughts as the Kings win 114-109:

🏀 1. Brought the energy. Devin Carter didn't see the court in the first half, but when Doug Christie went to him in the third, he made a huge impact. The second-year guard scored a career-high 24 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and picked up a steal while running a +21.

🏀 2. At least someone scored. Rookie Maxime Raynaud was the only Kings player in double figures in the first half, scoring 10 of his 18 points before the break. Raynaud  added 11 rebounds for his 15th double-double of the season and blocked 2 shots.

🏀 3. Stats. Fresh off his 208th triple-double of his career, Russell Westbrook stuffed the stat sheet again, posting 16 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Westbrook was efficient on a night when no one else was. There is no quit in the 37-year-old.

🏀 4. Dealing. Killian Hayes has struggled with his shot during his time with the Kings, but he has incredible court vision and he plays hard. The former top 10 pick made an impact, scoring 8 points to go with 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.  

🏀 5. Keep playing. Nique Clifford was having a tough night like most of the Kings, but Christie stuck with him and he came up big late. Clifford finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Every minute is an opportunity to get better. 

🏀 6. Uh oh. Malik Monk played 11 minutes in the first half and then was ruled out with a right ankle injury. The Kings are already a MASH unit. Losing Monk would make the final 16 games even more unbearable. Hopefully it isn't anything serious.