For the first time since Jan. 22, the Kings were able to light the beam in front of their home crowd.
Sacramento bounced back after an ugly loss to the Pistons with a commanding 135-106 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings' win caps off a brief, two-game pitstop at home for Sacramento before they go back and hit the road for a three-game stretch.
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With Domantas Sabonis’ league-leading 17th triple-double this season, the Kings, unlike in many instances this season, managed to remain consistent on the hardwood from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer, making it the team’s best game all season, according to star guard De’Aaron Fox.
“I think it was great,” Fox told reporters. “I think this is probably the best game we've had from start to finish. I think we started the game the right way, and I think we finished the game the right way.
“Obviously, it doesn’t erase what happened but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
NBA
Despite not moving up in the Western Conference playoff picture, the Kings managed to make amends for a midweek loss to a league-worst Pistons team by beating the defending NBA champion Nuggets in style.
Sacramento ended the night shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
The Kings found a rhythm from the free-throw line, shooting an impressive 88.9 percent on 18 shots from the charity stripe against the Nuggets.
While contribution from the bench was noticeably positive with Malik Monk’s 23 points leading all Kings’ scorers, adding much-needed dynamism to the scheme.
“It’s big for us,” Fox told reporters. “I mean, I think he can start for a lot of teams in the league. The fact that he’s coming off the bench for us and doing what he’s doing, just adds another dynamic for our team.
“Whenever we come out and we’re not able to score, he definitely adds that with playmaking.”
A convincing victory against a top team like Denver is a much-needed sigh of relief as the All-Star break inches closer.
After a tumultuous stretch, wins like this can potentially spark a run for Sacramento get as they continue to claw their way up the standings.