Don't look now, but Zach LaVine and the Kings appear to have hit their stride.
Sacramento won its fourth consecutive game with a resounding 122-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night at American Airlines Center.
So what exactly sparked this recent Kings surge? According to LaVine, it all comes back to cohesion as a group.
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"I think we're doing a good job sharing the ball. We're being connected on defense, we're helping each other," LaVine told reporters after Monday's win. "We see a guy who has it going, go to him, get back to the offense. We're sharing the ball and playing with a sense of urgency."
While Sacramento's success as a group can't be denied, the Kings' impressive run of form can be tied directly to a string of outstanding performances from LaVine, who scored a team-high 22 points in Monday's win over the Mavericks.
LaVine is averaging 26.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 made 3-pointers during the Kings' four-game winning streak, earning Western Conference Player of the Week honors for his standout play of late.
The two-time NBA All-Star praised his teammates and coaches for helping him acclimate, remaining thankful for receiving the prestigious accolade while Sacramento has been heating up as a unit.
NBA
"It was a really good week for us, it means a lot," LaVine said. "It's always good to be recognized. I got to give a lot of credit to the team and the coaches getting me acclimated to the right system. Us doing our job and winning. So it means a lot, I'm just grateful."
After Sacramento lost back-to-back games on the heels of LaVine's arrival in a trade, some wondered whether the move was going to make the instant impact required to propel the Kings in their Western Conference playoff push.
Those concerns disappeared as quickly as they arrived, with the Kings having won seven of their last nine games and LaVine eclipsing 20 points in seven of those contests.
Following Monday's win over the Mavericks, LaVine emphasized the importance of having time to jel with his new teammates and why it's unrealistic to expect things to click right out of the gate.
"As much as everyone wants it to work on the first game ... it just doesn't work that way," LaVine said. "Time and experience with playing, I think playing real live games always helps out. You need to go through a little ups and downs before you take off and start to understand everybody. At least speaking for myself, that's helped."
While it was a disaster night for Dallas, which lost star point guard Kyrie Irving in the fourth quarter to an apparent leg injury, Sacramento looked poised to snatch this game from the jump.
Despite Domantas Sabonis' absence as the star center is sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Kings not only stood firm in the congested Western Conference playoff hunt, but managed to score an additional victory outside of the standings by maintaining the momentum they fought so hard to build.
With LaVine in the fold, there's a new energy surrounding this Kings team. Just how far it manages to take them remains to be seen.