The Sacramento Kings overcame a 2nd quarter slump to stun the Philadelphia 76ers 101-95 and win the season series. Philly came into this game after a loss to the Bulls and were without their star big man Joel Embiid.
The Kings took the lead early on, relying heavily on the returning Zach Randolph as they went up 11-7. Philadelphia kept it close throughout the quarter however, utilizing Ben Simmons and Robert Covington to prevent the Kings from pushing the game out of reach.
Sacramento started to unravel as the 2nd quarter went on, committing four turnovers and not converting shots. Randolph, Buddy Hield, and Frank Mason combined to score 36 points, while the rest of the team recorded 12. The 76ers went on a 13-2 run in the last five minutes to take the lead into halftime 57-48. The Kings struggled heavily at the line in the first half, only making four of their eleven attempts. To make matters worse, De’Aaron Fox re-aggravated his quad injury and was declared out for the remainder of the game.
Bogdan Bogdanovic assumed ball-handling duties after the break, but started the quarter with a quick turnover. It sparked an 8-1 run for Philly to open the third. Sacramento then responded with a 13-4 run to close the gap to four points.
Sacramento fought back in the fourth quarter to take the lead after a Hield three pointer with nine minutes left. Philly tried to close the gap throughout the 4th quarter, getting down to as little as two points. Ultimately, they were unable to overcome the deficit as the Kings went on to win 101-95.
Randolph finished with 27 points for Sacramento while Jerryd Bayless was the top scorer for Philly with 15 points. The Kings travel to Brooklyn tomorrow to take on the Nets.
