That was ugly.
Days after a gutsy come-from-behind win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 9 predicated on defense, the Kings have now lost back-to-back games by double digits after falling 123-103 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center.
Though it was a close game after the end of the first quarter, things quickly got out of hand, even with De'Aaron Fox returning from a foot injury for the Kings (14-12).
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SIGN UP HERE "Tough night for us. Tough night for our group," Kings coach Mike Brown told reporters postgame after the loss to the 76ers (15-12). "I thought early foul trouble didn't help our rhythm."
Right off the bat, the Kings could not defend without fouling as 76ers star Joel Embiid went to the free-throw line nine times, making eight of them, in the first quarter.
The 28-year-old forced Kings center Domantas Sabonis to sit with two fouls after playing only 4:24 in the opening frame.
Sabonis' replacement, the recently-called-up Neemias Queta, only played 2:17 because he accrued three fouls guarding Embiid. As a whole, Embiid (9) shot more free throws than the entire Kings team combined (6) in the first quarter.
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However, while the foul discrepancy was something Brown noted, the Kings' coach examined his team's defense.
"Defensively, I thought we had a ton of breakdowns; we didn't come help on any drives," Brown continued. "We didn't do a good job on our double teams and he [Embiid] helped them create separation in that first half with his ability to score."
After giving up 66 points in the first half against the New York Knicks on Dec. 11, the Kings allowed the 76ers to score 80 points -- to Sacramento's 55 -- on 59.1 percent shooting from the field and 52.6 percent from beyond the 3-point line.
Leading the charge for Philadelphia in the first half were Embiid (21 points), James Harden (17) and Tobias Harris (17).
Despite Embiid sitting for extended stretches in the second quarter, Philadelphia stretched the lead by attacking the rim and getting easy baskets in transition, among other defensive miscues that Brown spotted.
"We were flatfooted on the weak side, we didn't move, and there's not many guys that can guard the basketball and then be a 1-on-1 without help," Brown added. "And so you've got to give multiple efforts defensively and we did not do that tonight."
Although the Kings outscored the 76ers 28-21 in the third quarter, the 18-point deficit was too much to overcome as Brown subbed out his starters with about six minutes left in the game.
"We have to try to figure some things out; we've got to dig a little deeper than what we are right now and see if we can go get a win in Toronto tomorrow," Brown concluded.
Sabonis tallied his 18th double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds. He also had five assists in his 29 minutes of work and was one of five Kings to score in double figures.
Meanwhile, Embiid led all scorers with 31 points, while Harden had 21 points and 15 assists for the 76ers.
The Kings are now 1-3 on their current six-game road trip against a handful of the Eastern Conference's best teams.
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Sacramento's next chance to salvage its six-game road trip will be against the Raptors on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena.
Kings' fans hope the defense will improve, or things could get even uglier.