After a tough trip, the Kings gave their fans a gift to open a four-game home stand

Sometimes, a little home cooking can help cure ails. That, and a game against a struggling opponent.

The Kings ended their three-game skid Sunday with a 129-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls at Golden 1 Center. The win opened a four-game home stand for Sacramento.

Marvin Bagley III had 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Kings, who rested their starters in the final period. De’Aaron Fox led the starters with 17 points as the team had five players reach double figures.

“It was a good night for us,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “The basketball bounced our way, we made a lot of shots, we got a lot of loose balls. ... I’m just really happy for our guys to get one of these kinds of wins. We haven’t seen that for a while.”

The Kings have won four in a row over the Bulls, including a 108-89 victory Dec. 11 at Chicago’s United Center in which Sacramento rallied from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter.

Zach LaVine – a guard who signed a four-year, $78 million offer sheet for the Kings last summer before it was quickly matched by Chicago – led the Bulls (19-52) with 18 points.

“They came out ready and we didn’t,” he said. “It started about halfway through the first quarter. We lost hold of it and it was just downhill from there.”

The Kings opened the second quarter on a 20-4 run and it was cruise control from there. They went on to score a season-high 80 points in the paint and reached 34 victories in a season for the first time in 11 years. They won 38 games in 2007-08.

“I think it’s good,” Kings guard De’Aaron Fox said of the victory total. “We’re just trying to fight for a playoff spot. The West is tough, but just to be able to be here, knowing the history, I think it’s definitely good.”

Up next for the Kings is their toughest matchup of the home stand in terms of record. The Brooklyn Nets come to town Tuesday looking for a season sweep after routing Sacramento on Jan. 21.

The Nets, who entered Sunday at 36-35 and with the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, have a win in the short history of Golden 1 Center. They won in Sacramento on March 1, 2017, in the arena’s inaugural season. The Kings swept the Nets last season.

This story was originally published March 17, 2019 at 5:22 PM.