Sacramento Kings (15-50) beat Chicago Bulls (26-38) 126-110 at home on Sunday, March 8, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Kings struck first, taking the opening quarter 30-25 and a 5-point lead after one. The Kings kept the pressure on with a 35-26 second quarter, carrying a 14-point lead into halftime.
The Kings won the third 39-38 to create some separation, taking a 15-point lead into the fourth. The Kings took the fourth 22-21; the Kings finished the job for a 126-110 regulation win.
What decided it
The Kings took better care of the ball, turning it over on 2.9% of possessions compared with 13.5% for the Bulls. The Kings grabbed 24.5% of their own misses, while the Bulls recovered 17.6%. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Bulls did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 27.4 against 20. The Kings made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 105 possessions per team, the Kings produced 120.5 points per 100 possessions to 105.2 for the Bulls.
Who made the difference
Russell Westbrook was the game's biggest individual force for SAC: 23 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast on 7-17 shooting. His Game Score of 26.6 led everyone. His team was +10 with him on the floor.
Collin Sexton led the Bulls with 28 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast on 9-12 shooting, good for a 25.5 Game Score.
Maxime Raynaud (26 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast), Russell Westbrook (23 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast), and Josh Giddey (15 pts, 12 reb, 10 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 52% for the Kings.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Chicago Bulls lead 2-1.
The Kings are now 15-50, and the Bulls are 26-38. The Kings last five before this game: L-W-L-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.