Photo credit: sportsbookwire.usatoday.com

By Ana Kieu

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings kicked off a seven-game homestand on Wednesday night, hosting the Chicago Bulls at the Golden 1 Center.

The Kings looked to snap their three-game losing skid, but it wasn’t going to be an easy task as the Bulls brought a two-game winning streak, including a come-from-behind win 111-108 over the Portland Trail Blazers, into the Golden 1 Center. Both teams exchanged leads and ties throughout the game, but the Kings came out on top with a 128-124 win.

After a scoreless 40 seconds, Richaun Holmes collected a pass from Harrison Barnes and hit a 2-pointer to get the Kings on the board 2-0 at 11:20 of the first quarter. Patrick Williams made a pair of free throws to help the Bulls tied the game at 18 with 4:43 left in the first. Thaddeus Young missed a 3-point attempt, Chicago had a shot clock violation that resulted to the clock being set to 2.2 seconds, and Sacramento got an offensive rebound for a 28-25 lead at the end of the first.

Richaun Holmes threw down a dunk to open the scoring just nine seconds into the second quarter. Holmes added a pair of free throws and made a finger-roll layup to give the Kings a 34-27 lead at 10:09 of the second. Harrison Barnes hit back-to-back 3-pointers in a span of 30 seconds, and Sacramento took a 10-point lead with 8:29 left in the second. Coby White put on a scoring clinic and recorded his 1,000th career point, while Zach LaVine made a driving layup late in the second; but the Kings still led by three points, 62-59, at halftime.

The Kings opened the second half with a bang. Harrison Barnes made a driving layup to give the Kings a 64-59 lead 13 seconds into the third quarter. After Chicago went on a 10-2 run and made it a 1-point game, Sacramento took a timeout with 2:58 left in the third. There were four ties before the third came to an end and the teams were tied at 93 entering the last 12 minutes of the game.

The Bulls took an early 95-93 lead on Patrick Williams’ layup to start the fourth quarter. The Kings responded with Tyrese Haliburton’s layup and Nemanja Bjelica’s 3-pointer and led by three, 98-95, at 10:28 of the fourth.

The Kings challenged Marvin Bagley III’s shooting foul, but the replay review confirmed that the call stood and Sacramento was charged with a timeout at 10:15 of the fourth. The game remained a tight contest, but Buddy Hield nailed a 25-foot 3-pointer to put the Kings up 123-119 with 38.3 seconds left in the fourth. Tyrese Haliburton made a step-back jump shot and Nemanja Bjelica made a free throw to seal the Kings’ win.

The Kings improved to 4-4. Richaun Holmes led all scorers with 25 points.

The Bulls fell to 4-5. Coby White led all scorers with 36 points.

The Kings host the Toronto Raptors on Friday, January 8 at 7 pm PT.