The Sacramento Kings showed signs of defensive improvement during their recent four-game winning streak, but they couldn’t stop the scoring barrage from the Miami Heat.
Bam Adebayo had 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead the Heat to a 130-117 victory over the Kings before a crowd of 11,381 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Norman Powell scored 22 points for the Heat (23-21), which is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 119.3 points per game. Andrew Wiggins and Simone Fontecchio scored 15 points apiece.
DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points to lead the Kings (12-33). Russell Westbrook scored 22 points. Zach LaVine and Malik Monk scored 18 points apiece.
The Kings were sixth in the NBA with a 112.0 defensive rating over the previous five games, but in this contest they looked more like the team that ranks 27th on the season at 119.0. The Heat shot 48% from the field and went 21 of 42 (.500) from 3-point range.
The Kings got off to a slow start, missing six of their first seven shots. Westbrook committed three turnovers in the first six minutes of the game.
Sacramento trailed by 10 in the first quarter and 14 in the second. The Heat led 77-64 at the halftime break and 100-89 at the end of the third quarter. The Kings cut the deficit to 11 early in the fourth quarter but never got any closer.
Playing time
Sabonis has come off the bench in all three games since returning from a knee injury that caused him to miss 27 games. He logged 21 minutes against the Washington Wizards, 20 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers and 17 minutes against Miami, well below his season average of 31.2 minutes per game.
During his pregame press conference, Kings coach Doug Christie was asked if Sabonis’ playing time is being determined by rotation decisions or a minute restriction.
“I think that’s just decision based,” Christie said. “Watching the game, some guys went in and they brought a really high energy and played well. … Depth is a good thing to have, and when someone is in front of you and they’re playing well, the object and what we’re here to do is win, and it’s a team game. Be happy for that person. Root them on because they should do the same thing for you.”
3-point shooting
The Kings were No. 1 in the NBA in 3-piont shooting at 46.7% during their four-game winning streak, but they have cooled off considerably over the past two games.
The Kings went 11 of 31 (.350) from beyond the arc in Sunday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. They went 11 of 30 (.367) against the Heat.
Up next
The Kings will conclude a season-long seven-game homestand when they face the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. The Kings are 2-5 this season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Raptors (25-19) will also be on the second night of a back-to-back after visiting the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. They are led by Brandon Ingram, who averages 21.7 points and 6.0 rebounds; RJ Barrett, who averages 19.6 points and 5.0 rebounds; and Scottie Barnes, who averages 19.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists.