Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes (22) gets the ball knocked out of his hands by Indiana Pacers guard Brad Wanamaker (10) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Sun Nov 7, 2021 (AP News photo)  

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (5-5) were back in action on Sunday afternoon. The Kings were in action after having the day off on Saturday after taking on the Charlotte Hornets (5-5). On Sunday, the Kings welcomed the Indiana Pacers into Golden One Center. The Kings dropped a close one to the Pacers (4-7) 94-91 in Sacramento. If the Kings were able to win it that would have been their third straight win. Before we dive into the action on Sunday let’s take a look at how the Kings faired in their last game.

Friday flashback: The Kings played the Charlotte Hornets on Friday and won in a convincing fashion. The Kings played a tremendous game on both ends of the floor as the Kings drubbed the Hornets by a final of 140-110. It was one of the Kings most authoritative wins of the year.

Sunday recap: The game against the Indiana Pacers was set for tip-off at 3 PM PST in Sacramento.

In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a slow start. On the defensive end, the Kings allowed the Pacers to score 27 points. The Kings didn’t seem to have the energy that they played with the whole game on Friday. Similarly, the Kings offense was lackluster to start the game. The Kings only managed 19 points against the Pacers in the first quarter. The Kings looked to turn things around in the second.

In the second quarter, the Kings stopped the bleeding against the Pacers. The Kings still didn’t look in rhythm but they at least kept the Pacers from expanding the lead. The Kings outscored the Pacers in the second quarter 24-21 as the Kings pulled a little closer.

As is the theme early on this season Harrison Barnes was the main reason the Kings were in the ball game as he had 11 first-half points. Chris Duarte was the largest contributor for the Pacers with 12 points. The Kings went into halftime down 48-43 looking to come back and win the first game of a back-to-back.

In the third quarter, the Kings got off to a slow start again. The Pacers continued to hit their shots as the Kings really struggled to get any momentum going on the offensive end. Buddy Hield hit a couple of big threes to keep it close. However, the Kings were outscored 26-24 in the third to dig a 74-67 hole going into the final quarter. The Kings would need to start hitting shots if they wanted any chance of winning the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings intensity took an obvious jump up. The Kings defense was getting into position every time down the floor. The question was if the Kings shots would start falling enough times to cut the deficit. It was. The Kings managed to claw their way back and tie the game.

However, the Kings weren’t able to close the deal as the Pacers just barely managed to beat the Kings down to the final seconds of the game. The Kings outscored the Pacers 20-24 in the final quarter but it wasn’t enough as the Kings came up short 94-91.

The Kings offense just never caught rhythm as the Kings only managed 91 points in the game. The Kings were led in defeat by Harrison Barnes who scored 22 points. Caris LeVert scored 22 points for the Pacers in victory. With the loss, the Kings drop to 5-5 on the year as the Pacers improved to 4-7 on the year. The Kings will have to look to the second night of the back-to-back for victory.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Phoenix Suns on Monday at 7 PM PST at Golden One Center.