The Kings got hot before the break; why that didn’t lead to success against the Nets

The Kings struggled in the second half en route to a 123-94 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday at Barclays Center. Here are three takeaways from the game:

Kings go cold after hot quarter

The Kings turned a first-quarter deficit into a halftime lead on the strength of strong shooting and solid ball movement.

Sacramento (24-23) outscored Brooklyn 37-26 in the second period to take a five-point lead into the break. They shot 15 of 23 (65.2 percent) in the quarter, including 6 of 9 on 3-pointers, and had 12 assists to just two turnovers.

The second half was a different story. The Kings were outscored 68-34 overall and only put up nine points in the final period.

It’s the second road game this month in which they had more points in the second quarter than they did after halftime.

Another reason the Kings struggled in the second half was the defense on scoring leader Buddy Hield. The third-year guard, who averaged 20.5 points entering Monday, was held to 11, all coming in the first half.

“I thought (Treveon Graham’s) job on Buddy Hield was fantastic,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I don’t think he scored in the second half. He was a real concern for us, but great job on him and great defensive performance.”

Hield was 0 for 4 in 12 minutes after the break.

Bogdanovic sees it all

Bogdan Bogdanovic has played both backcourt positions and has started at small forward for the Kings. He didn’t start this game, but he did start the offense on numerous possessions.

Bogdanovic set a career high with 11 assists. It’s the second game with double-digit assists for the second-year guard. He had 10 in a home win over the Orlando Magic on March 9, 2018.

He credits his coaching overseas and in the NBA for wanting to improve his playmaking skills.

“How I learned to play basketball, an assist makes two people happy,” Bogdanovic said.

He also scored a team-high 22 points.

Too many defensive lapses

The Nets (25-23) scored easily on numerous possessions, in the paint and from outside the arc. Some of that could be attributed to lapses in communication on defense.

The Kings were victimized on several instances in which two players would rotate on defense, leaving a man open. Brooklyn scored 62 points in the paint, 16 more than Sacramento, many on uncontested dunks and layups.

The Nets also had multiple open looks on 3-pointers. They made 13 overall, including seven from D’Angelo Russell, who scored a game-high 31 points.

“I think there were too many guys trying to stop the hot hand and too many guys trying to take on the challenge, which is a good thing, but there’s got to be better communication,” Kings forward Iman Shumpert said.

Upcoming schedule for the Kings

▪ Jan. 22 at Toronto Raptors – The Kings will look to avenge a 114-105 home loss to Toronto on Nov. 7. It won’t be easy, as it comes on the second of a back-to-back while facing the NBA’s No. 2 team in winning percentage entering Monday.

▪ Jan. 25 at Memphis Grizzlies – The Kings are 2-1 against the Grizzlies, including a 102-99 victory Dec. 21 at Golden 1 Center in which Sacramento overcame a 19-point deficit.

▪ Jan. 27 at Los Angeles Clippers – The Kings are 0-2 against the Clippers. The first contest was Sacramento’s only game televised on TNT this season. In the second, the Clippers led big until the Kings’ reserves staged a 27-3 run in the fourth quarter but eventually fell short.

This story was originally published January 21, 2019 at 4:28 PM.