SACRAMENTO – Domantas Sabonis recorded his 43rd consecutive double-double, but the Kings were held scoreless over the final two minutes and lost to the Chicago Bulls 113-109 on Monday night at Golden 1 Center, spoiling De’Aaron Fox’s return to Sacramento’s lineup.
The Kings led by as much as 22 points and were ahead late before going cold. Sacramento committed three turnovers in the last two minutes, including one by Fox who threw the ball out of bounds on an inbounds play.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Fox had 20 points and 10 assists in his return to the Kings’ lineup following a two-game absence. Fox, who had been nursing a sore left knee, showed no lingering effects from the injury but committed five turnovers, including the costly one near the end.
Sabonis had his 43rd consecutive double-double with 18 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. It’s the 56th time in the Kings’ 70 games during the 2023-24 NBA season that the three-time All-Star has notched a double-double.
Keegan Murray added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for Sacramento (34-26) against Chicago (29-32).
The late-game collapse sends the Kings into their off day on a low note before playing the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs in back-to-back games later this week.
NBA
Here are the takeaways from Monday’s game:
Fox mostly shines in return
The Kings welcomed back Fox, and he helped steady Sacramento’s offense with his all-around effort.
Fox aggressively attacked and drove the lane in the first half while maintaining a smooth, steady shooting touch. The Kings point guard shot 8 of 16 from the field and had a nifty buzzer-beating hook shot that capped a 25-7 run by the Kings to end the first quarter.
He also spent a good chunk of his night chasing and trying to defend the Bulls’ duo of Coby White and DeMar DeRozan, who combined for 70 points.
Sacramento has proven it can win without Fox, evidenced by last Friday’s 124-120 overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Make no mistake, however. The Kings are a much better and more efficient team when Fox is on the court leading the charge.
Sabonis holds up well in battle of bigs
Sabonis hasn’t always fared well when facing some of the NBA’s traditional big men, but the Kings’ 6-foot-10 center held his own against the Bulls and Nikola Vucevic after getting out to a slow start.
Although he shanked his first six shots and didn’t score until he muscled inside for a short bucket late in the second quarter, Sabonis remained active on the defensive end and hauled in 11 rebounds before halftime.
Sabonis was mired in foul trouble much of the second half, yet was able to contain Vucevic for the most part when the two were on the court together. Vucevic missed eight of his first 10 shots and was minus-five for the game.
Monk continues to shine off bench
The Kings’ most productive player off the bench all season, Monk did his thing again against the Bulls while maintaining his standing as a leading contender for the NBA’s Sixth Man award.
Coming off an epic 39-point performance in Sacramento’s win over the Timberwolves on Friday, Monk was the Kings’ most consistent threat in the first half against the Bulls, although he had some issues shooting deep.
Monk also had six assists, giving him 309, tops in the NBA among reserves who have played in a minimum of 40 games this season.
That helped anchor a pretty dominant night by the Kings’ bench, which held a significant 38-11 scoring advantage over the Bulls.