Sacramento Kings (19-53) beat Brooklyn Nets (17-54) 126-122 at home on Sunday, March 22 in a game that stayed within 5 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nets had the better start, winning the first 34-30 to lead by 4 after one. The Nets kept the pressure on with a 28-27 second quarter, carrying a 5-point lead into halftime.
The Kings won the third 28-20 to turn the game around, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The Kings took the fourth 41-40; the Kings finished the job for a 126-122 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Kings grabbed 48.6% of their own misses, while the Nets recovered 17.1%. The Kings made 31.7 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 18.2 for the Nets. In a 4-point game, the second chances kept adding up.
The Nets did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 7.2 against 16.7. The Kings made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 96 possessions per team, the Kings produced 130.7 points per 100 possessions to 126.6 for the Nets.
The Nets' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 68-41.
Who made the difference
Malik Monk was the game's biggest individual force for SAC: 32 pts, 2 reb, 6 ast on 8-17 shooting. His Game Score of 24 led everyone. His team was +1 with him on the floor.
Malachi Smith led the Nets with 18 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl on 7-9 shooting, good for a 20.5 Game Score.
Precious Achiuwa (14 pts, 15 reb, 0 ast) and Maxime Raynaud (22 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Kings about a 68% chance.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Kings are now 19-53, and the Nets are 17-54. The Kings last five before this game: L-W-W-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.