The Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter (12) is guarded by the Sacramento Kings guard Jordan McLaughlin (3) in first half action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Mon Nov 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Monday night in Sacramento. The Kings last played on Saturday when they took on the Utah Jazz at home. The Kings beat the Jazz to improve to 8-6 on the year.

The Kings welcomed the Atlanta Hawks to Golden 1 Center on Monday night. The Hawks entered the game on Monday night with a record of 6-8. Trae Young looked to lead the Hawks to their 7th win at 7 p.m. PST in Sacramento. The Kings were defeated by the Hawks 109-108 in regulation.

In the first quarter, the Sacramento Kings started sluggishly. The Kings were once again down three key players in the game. The Kings were playing again without the services of Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, and Domas Sabonis.

The Hawks were outpacing the Kings early in the quarter as the shots weren’t falling. However, behind the shooting of Keon Ellis and De’Aaron Fox, the Kings managed to come within one at the end of the first, 32-31.

In the second quarter, the Keon Ellis show was in town for Sacramento. Keon hit four three-pointers in the quarter to finish the half with 18 points. The Kings played a solid quarter that saw them outscore the Hawks 35-32. The Kings went into halftime leading 66-64. Fox was also doing Fox things, putting up 14 points in the half. De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks in the first half with 13 points.

In the third, the Kings had another up-and-down quarter. However, Ellis picked up right where he left off. Keon hit three more triples in the quarter to raise his game total to 27 points. The Kings outscored the Hawks 27-25 in the third quarter of action.

Hunter led the Hawks through three with 19 points. The Kings were showing good heart in the game, especially playing short-handed.

In the fourth, the Kings fought. However, they just couldn’t muster the run they needed to defeat the Hawks. The Kings only scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to lose the game 109-108.

The Hawks only managed 20 points against the Kings’ defense but still squeaked past the Kings. The Kings were led by Ellis, who scored 33 points. The Hawks’ best performance in victory came from Hunter, who had 24 points.

Up Next: The Kings will have three days off in Sacramento before traveling to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers inside the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The Kings lost the first meeting against the Clippers at home earlier this year.