Kings end losing streak by rolling past Bulls

[March 18, 2019]  Buddy Hield made his only 3-pointers of the game in a 14-point, second-quarter flurry that propelled the host Sacramento Kings to a 129-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak and allowed the Kings (34-35) to retain a slim hope of reaching the Western Conference playoffs this season. Sacramento currently resides in ninth place in the West.

In the opener of a four-game homestand, Sacramento led just 30-27 before scoring the next 14 points, with Hield contributing six of the first eight with his 3-pointers.

That gave the Kings a 44-27 advantage at the 5:10 mark of the second quarter. They led 56-40 at halftime.

Sacramento went on to lead by as many as 30 in the third period before coasting home to its second-largest margin of victory of the season.

The Kings had a 31-point win in Atlanta in November.

In just his third game back from a knee injury, Marvin Bagley III shot 9 of 14 and led Sacramento with 21 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes.

The rookie had totaled 14 and 15 points in losses to Boston and Philadelphia on the Kings' just completed trip.

De'Aaron Fox (17 points), Hield (16), Harry Giles III (16) and Harrison Barnes (15) also scored in double figures for the Kings, who will face Brooklyn, Dallas and Phoenix in the remaining games on their must-win homestand.

Bulls center Robin Lopez (42) controls the ball against Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

In completing a two-game season-series sweep of the Bulls, the Kings outshot the visitors 52.4 percent to 44.3.

Zach LaVine (18 points) was the top scorer for the Bulls.

Lauri Markkanen, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Shaq Harrison added 11 apiece, while Ryan Arcidiacono had 10 for Chicago, which lost by 27 or more points for the eighth time this season.

Despite the fact that the Kings outrebounded the Bulls 48-39, Chicago's Cristiano Felicio was the game's leading rebounder with 10.

Chicago completes a three-game trip Monday night at Phoenix.

The Bulls have lost four in a row on the road.

--Field Level Media

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