With the Kings in Chicago tonight to begin their longest trip of the season, coach Keith Smart hopes being on the road will help continue to bring his team closer.

One benefit Smart sees in the Kings' schedule – they've played 15 of their 27 games on the road – is that it has provided plenty of opportunities for a big part of his approach to team building – getting players to spend time with each other off the court.

Away from home, players are more inclined to eat together or hang out after shootarounds. And, Smart said, that should translate to more support and communication during games.

"Guys are starting to do things together," Smart said. "And I think that's one of the reasons we did have some success the last week or so of playing games, because guys were pulling for each other, and that is a direct result of being off the floor together a little bit more."

Though the road may bring players closer, it hasn't translated to wins away from home. The Kings are 3-12 on the road.

This trip includes stops in New York, where the Knicks have been revitalized by the emergence of point guard Jeremy Lin, and Miami, to play the Heat and the high-scoring trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The Kings also will play Detroit, Cleveland and Washington, teams at or near the bottom of their divisions.

With 21 of Sacramento's 33 games on the road before the All-Star break, the schedule will flip in the second half, which features a stretch of nine in a row at Power Balance Pavilion in March.

Despite the favorable second-half schedule, the shortened 66-game season leaves less time to make up ground. The Kings are 10-17 and looking up at most of the Western Conference.

"We're behind, so we can't wait," forward John Salmons said. "We've got to win some games, catch up, put some pressure on some people in front of us."

To do that, the Kings – who play nine of their next 11 games away from Power Balance Pavilion – must solve their road woes.

"That's what coach always talks about – steal some games on the road and take care of business at home," rookie guard Isaiah Thomas said. "We could put ourselves in a good position by taking care of business on this road trip."

Hearing Smart talk about preparing for six road games in nine days, you can picture how he might approach one of those gastronomically questionable challenges at a steakhouse – one bite at a time.

"We look at the first game, how we manage that game, and then move to the next," Smart said. "We're not an elite team that we can say we're going on the road, we're going to get four games or five games or three games. The best teams can think like that, but only they can pull it off."

On the East Coast trip, Smart said the Kings might have to adjust to a more deliberate style of play that will require them to fight constantly for defensive rebounds and keep their offense from stagnating on one side of the floor.

Salmons said the Kings will try to build on their improved team defense during their two recent two-game trips. The Kings won just one of those four games, but the losses came by three or fewer points, compared to double-digit losses earlier in the season.

"To be able to go right back out there when we had a little bit of success – not necessarily winning all the games, but just playing better – I think it gave us confidence for this road trip," Salmons said.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

• Read more articles by Matt Kawahara