Kings suffer first loss with Domantas Sabonis as Seth Curry helps Nets end losing streak
The duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis suffered their first loss together while Seth Curry dazzled in his Brooklyn Nets debut to help his new team snap an 11-game losing streak.
Curry had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead the Nets to a 109-85 victory over the Kings on Monday night at Barclays Center in New York. The Kings were coming off back-to-back wins in their first two games with Sabonis, but they didn’t demonstrate the same kind of ball movement and efficiency against the Nets.
“I never really felt like we were in any kind of rhythm that we were in the last two games,” interim Kings coach Alvin Gentry said. “I told them this can’t be something that becomes a habit. We just have to make sure next time we come out, this is not the case, that we’re back where we were the last two games.”
Curry was sensational in his first game for the Nets after coming to Brooklyn in the blockbuster trade that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons. He went 10 of 18 from the field and 3 of 8 from 3-point range.
Bruce Brown posted 19 points, six rebounds, six assists, five steals and three blocked shots for the Nets (30-27). LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and eight rebounds for Brooklyn, which was extremely shorthanded.
Kevin Durant is out with an MCL sprain. Joe Harris is recovering from ankle surgery. Kyrie Irving isn’t permitted to play in home games due to New York City’s vaccination mandate and Simmons is working toward a return to competition after sitting out the first 57 games of the season.
Fox had 26 points for the Kings (22-37), who will visit the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday before the All-Star break arrives. Fox made 9 of 18 field-goal attempts, but the rest of the team combined to go 22 of 72 (.305) from the field.
“We just didn’t hit shots today,” Sabonis said. “If we would have hit shots, it would have been a whole different game.”
Sabonis, who came to Sacramento last week in a trade with the Indiana Pacers, was held to nine points on 4-of-11 shooting with nine rebounds and two assists. Harrison Barnes was held to six points on 3-of-9 shooting. Justin Holiday went 3 of 12 from the field and 1 of 6 from 3-point range.
Davion Mitchell and Donte DiVincenzo provided a spark off the bench. Mitchell scored 13 points. DiVincenzo had 12 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five steals.
“I thought (DiVincenzo) was very disruptive defensively and he made a couple of 3s to help us settle down and get back into the game,” Gentry said.
Sacramento trailed 19-8 after going 4 of 15 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range over the first six minutes. The Nets led by as many as 19 in opening period, but Mitchell, DiVincenzo and Chimezie Metu provided energy off the bench, helping the Kings trim Brooklyn’s lead to 11 at the end of the first quarter. The Kings got within eight early in the second and cut the deficit to three on a step-back 3-pointer by Fox with 1:03 remaining, but they had work to do in the second half after trailing 55-48 at intermission.
The Kings got within one on a basket by Barnes early in the third quarter, but that’s when Curry caught fire. The 31-year-old veteran and one-time Kings guard scored 12 points in a span of 3:49, fueling a big run that pushed Brooklyn’s lead back up to 19. The Nets went up by as many as 24 in the fourth quarter.
The Kings weren’t nearly as efficient as they were in wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards. The Kings shot 34.4% shooting with 18 turnovers and 12 assists.
“Our offense killed us,” Fox said. “Almost 20 turnovers and shooting 34%, you’re probably not winning any games in the NBA when our offense is like that.”
A poor performance against a depleted and struggling Nets squad is not what anyone expected after the Kings scored a total of 255 points in their past two games. Nets coach Steve Nash talked about the new dimensions Sabonis brings to the Kings’ offense during his pregame news conference.
“I think he’s a really well-rounded center,” Nash said. “He can play make. He’s terrific out in a 5-out offense, facilitating in DHOs (dribble handoffs), rolling to the basket, playmaking out of the short roll. Obviously, he’s a crafty finisher around the rim and he can stretch it to 3, so a lot of diversity to his game offensively.
“I think he gives them somebody to play through to make their shooters better, give them more space and time, and create advantages and knock the first domino down. He’s such a steady player for a five with such a diversity of skills. He can cause you problems in lots of different ways.”
Gentry said he was confident the Kings would bounce back with a better showing in Chicago.
“This is one of those things that just happen, but it isn’t going to be the norm,” Gentry said. “Talking to the guys in the locker room after the game, they knew what had gone wrong and, to me, they took ownership for it right away. I think you’ll see us come out in the Chicago game and play with much more energy.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 8:12 PM with the headline "Kings suffer first loss with Domantas Sabonis as Seth Curry helps Nets end losing streak."
