SACRAMENTO -- It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
The Kings let the Cleveland Cavaliers stick around longer than they should have Thursday at Golden 1 Center. But, Sacramento's rally late in the third quarter created separation, and a strong push in the fourth handed the Kings a 117-104 win.
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Rookie Collin Sexton put up solid numbers and Jordan Clarkson provided a spark off Cleveland’s bench, but the Kings held strong.
Here are three takeaways as the Kings improved to 39-40 and moved within a game of the .500 mark on the season:
Everyone scores, everyone wins
The Kings are an unselfish group. Against the Cavs, they moved the ball and everyone who entered the game got a chance to shine.
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All 10 players who stepped on the floor for Sacramento scored, led by a team-high 23 points from Buddy Hield. The Kings finished with 28 assists, including 10 from De’Aaron Fox, and they turned the ball over just six time as a team.
It’s hard to stop a team when they move the ball and find the open man.
Finishing strong
Marvin Bagley had a quiet first half, playing just nine minutes before the intermission. He came back into the game with under four minutes remaining in the third quarter, and made an impact.
The rookie big dropped in 11 of his 15 points in the second half, and grabbed eight rebounds in just 20 minutes of action.
Bagley is used to playing more minutes, but he made the most of his time on the court Thursday night.
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Trouble on the glass
The Cavs aren’t a good rebounding team even when Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson suit up. Without the pair of bigs, they should be downright atrocious on the glass.
That is not what the Kings experienced Thursday night. Cleveland out-hustled and out-worked the Kings on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 50-36.
Larry Nance Jr. led the way with 16 and Ante Zizic chipped in 10, but it was a complete team effort by Cleveland.