Frustrations growing as Kings fall four games under .500 with ugly loss to Indiana Pacers
Frustrations continued to grow in Sacramento as the Kings lost their fourth in a row, falling 122-95 to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Pascal Siakam posted 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers (14-15), who have won four in a row and five of their last six.
De’Aaron Fox scored 23 points to lead the Kings (13-17), who are a season-high four games under .500 after losing the first four games of a five-game homestand.
The Kings will be back in action when they play host to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
Stat leaders
Former Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points, five rebounds and eight assists for Indiana. T.J. McConnell came off the bench to post 12 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.
Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 21 rebounds for Sacramento. Malik Monk added 14 points and Keegan Murray had 10 while DeMar DeRozan was held to two points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Halftime report
The Kings and Pacers were tied at 52 following a first half that featured three ties and eight lead changes.
Fox led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Sabonis had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
Indiana shot 48.4% from the field while holding Sacramento to 42.6%, but the Kings had a 12-4 advantage in points off turnovers. They also had a 10-4 advantage in second-chance points after grabbing nine offensive rebounds.
Second-half collapse
The Kings shot 37.5% from the field while getting outscored 35-26 in the third period. They also offered little resistance at the defensive end, allowing the Pacers to shoot 62.5%.
Indiana went up by 14 points in the third quarter and led 87-76 going into the fourth. The lead swelled to 21 points with 6:55 remaining, bringing on a chorus of boos as many fans headed for the exits. The Pacers led by as many as 30 in the final minutes.
Up next
The Kings will have three days off before they conclude a five-game homestand against the Pistons on Thursday.
The Pistons (12-17) are coming off a 133-125 victory over the Phoenix Suns. They will visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday before coming to Sacramento.
Cade Cunningham is averaging 24.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists while shooting 45.7% from the field and 38.5% from 3-point range. Jaden Ivey averages 17.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Malik Beasley (16.4 ppg), Tobias Harris (13.5 ppg) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (10.0 ppg) are also scoring in double figures.
This story was originally published December 22, 2024 at 6:18 PM.
