Snapped.
After dropping 11 consecutive games in Atlanta dating to 2006, the Sacramento Kings walked into Philips Arena on Thursday night and ran over a young Hawks team.
It was close going to the half, but the Kings outscored the Hawks by 23 points in the third quarter to run away with a 146-115 victory.
Five players scored in double figures for Sacramento, led by a career triple-double night from De’Aaron Fox. The win marked the fifth consecutive victory for the Kings, who now sit at 6-3 early in the season.
Here are three takeaways as the Kings kept it rolling on the road.
Career best
NBA
Fox went off. The sophomore guard set new career highs in points with 31, assists with 15 and rebounds with 10. The 20-year-old is going crazy in the early part of this season, leading his team to an unexpected fast start.
This was the first career triple-double for the former Kentucky star.
Shooting guard
His position description says it all. Buddy Hield is supposed to step on the court and knock down shots. Early this season, he’s been really good at his job.
Hield broke loose for a season-high 27 points on 5-for-7 shooting from behind the arc. He added six assists and five rebounds to help his team to victory. This was the fifth consecutive game Hield scored 20 or more for Sacramento.
Serbian Sniper
Nemanja Bjelica is becoming a thing in Sacramento. The 30-year-old continues to provide long-range shooting and stability at power forward. He struggled a bit on the defensive end against Atlanta, but not the offensive side of the ball.
Bjelica dropped in 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added three assists in 23 minutes.