Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) is fouled by Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerte in second half action at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Wed Jan 4, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night. The Kings were on the second night of a back-to-back. On Tuesday, the Kings narrowly defeated the Utah Jazz in Utah. Directly after the game, they returned to Sacramento for the game on Wednesday.

The Kings welcomed the Atlanta Hawks to town on Wednesday at 7 PM PST. Trae Young and former Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Kings fell at home to the Hawks 120-117.

The first quarter was an underwhelming performance for the Kings on the offensive end. The Kings defense was playing well and forcing many errors on the Hawks. The Kings and Hawks both scored 30 points in the first quarter. The Kings and the Hawks couldn’t get into any sort of rhythm on the offensive end. Domas and De’Aaron supplied most of the Kings offense, starting with six points each.

The second quarter was more of the same for the Kings. The defense kept up, but the offense needed help finding a rhythm. The Kings shots seemed to be missing at the worst possible times, and were lagging behind Atlanta. The Hawks outscored the Kings in the second quarter 31-28. The Kings would take a 61-58 deficit into halftime. If they wanted to win the game, the offense would need to improve. Domas led the Kings in the first half with 14 points as John Collins did the same for the Hawks with 12 points.

In the third quarter, the Kings hung in the game. They didn’t make up any ground on the Atlanta Hawks but they also didn’t fall any furhter behind. On a night where the kings shooting seemed to be letting them down they hung in.

The Kings scored 30 points in the third quarter as they kept pace with the Hawks who also scored 30. The score going into the final quarter was the Kings down 91-88. Kevin Huerter led the Kings through three quarters with 18 points. De’Andre Hunter and John Collins were leading the Hawks in scoring; both players had 18 points. The Kings would need an offensive explosion on the final quarter to take down the Hawks.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings just couldn’t get it done. They battled but were unable to stop the Hawks offense. That doesn’t tell the whole story. The Kings did come back and take the lead late in the fourth quarter. In fact, they were up four points with just over a minute left. However, sloppy defense and some kissed free throws were the kiss of death for the Kings at they dropped the game.

The Kings and Hawks both scored 29 points in the final quarter. It was a disappointing game for the Kings after taking the lead but that is the way it goes in the NBA. It is a game of runs and clutch shots and the Hawks had one more than the Kings on Wednesday. De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Kings with 25 points. Hunter and Collins led the way for the Hawks in victory both scoring 22 points.

Up Next: The Kings will welcome “The King” Lebron James and the Lakers to the Golden 1 Center Saturday at 7 PM PST.