CHICAGO — The Sacramento Kings watched their 30-point lead sink down to three before escaping with a 123-115 triumph over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
The Kings flexed their high-powered offense by shooting a scorching 62.2% from the field and having 24 assists on 28 made field goals.
De’Aaron Fox put in 22 first-half points while Trey Lyles added 15 first-half points on 5 made threes. Sac-Town dominated the first half, leading 71-52 going into the break.
Demar Derozan and Nikola Vucevic kept the Bulls afloat in the first two quarters with 11 points apiece.
The Kings kept their foot on the pedal to start the second half going on an 11-0 run to balloon their advantage to 82-52. After a timeout, the Bulls responded by outscoring the visitors 29-9. Their comeback third frame was punctuated by a Coby White slam dunk followed by an Alex Caruso block.
Chicago tightened the screws on defense and started the fourth by forcing a Sacramento 24-second shot clock violation. White, who finished with 26 points and 6 rebounds, spearheaded the Bulls’ flurry.
Chicago got to within three points in the waning minutes but would get no closer thanks to Sacramento stars Domantas Sabonis who had 13 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists while De’Aaron Fox who finished the night with 41 points. Malik Monk supplemented the power duo with 22 points and seven assists off the bench.
Fox, who is appropriately nicknamed “Swipa,” also swiped five steals. He is third on the NBA steals leaderboard. When asked about his big game, Fox focused on his defense.
“I want to be one of those guys who’s considered a two way guy who gets stops and can affect the game in different ways. If I’m not scoring, what else can I do? Being able to get my team extra possessions and disrupt an offensive flow is something I’ve gotten better at.”
Sabonis, who racked up a triple-double, effectively collected his 31st double-double in a row, a Kings franchise record.
In a losing effort, DeRozan finished the night with 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Nikola Vucevic chipped in with a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds.
With five games until the All-Star break, Chicago will aim to bounce back on Tuesday when they play host to the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sacramento, meanwhile, will conclude their two-week-long road trip in Cleveland on Monday night when they spar with the Cavaliers.
