Photo credit: @Deadspin

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

Last year, the Sacramento Kings were humiliated by the Atlanta Hawks. The King lost in Atlanta last year by a score of 80-126. Grant Napear was quoted as saying in pregame, “It was a game of men against boys” last season. This year, the Kings were looking to flip the script against Atlanta. The tip was scheduled for 4:30 PM PST on Thursday.

The Kings came ready to play in their first game action since Tuesday evening in Orlando. De’Aaron Fox appeared to put the back issues he has been experiencing behind him early to lead the Kings in the first half. The Kings and Hawks both came out shooting early on. Led by Buddy Hield (9 first-quarter points) and Nemenja Bjelica (10 first-quarter points) the Kings were able to jump out to an early lead in the first. As time winded down in the first, the score was 35-29 Kings on top.

The Kings couldn’t do much separating from the Hawks in the second quarter. Both teams would match each other shot for shot going into halftime. Leading the Kings was Fox, Hield and Nemenja Bjelica.

The third quarter is when the Kings turned it up a notch. Fox would get himself career-highs in points and assists before the end of the third to lead the Kings. Hield was also playing very well for the Kings in the third as they created separation from the Hawks. The Kings, looking for their first win in Atlanta since 2006, finished the third with 46 points and a 115-86 lead.

From this point on the game was Sacramento’s to lose, and they did not do that. Fox put together the first triple-double of his career and led the Kings to a 146-115 win. Fox was asked after the game if the game has slowed down and said, “The game has slowed down immensely.” Fox finished with 31 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds. Other notable performances included Hield (27 points), Bjelica (19 points), and Marvin Bagley (18 points).

Up Next: The Kings head to Milwaukee to face the undefeated Bucks at 12:30 PM PST on Sunday.