SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Terence Davis scored 31 points off the bench and sparked a big second-quarter run that helped the Sacramento Kings race past the Nets 153-121 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight win.
Kevin Huerter had 19 points and Domantas Sabonis added 17 as the Kings had their highest-scoring game in nearly 30 years. Sacramento has won seven of nine following an 0-4 start to coach Mike Brown’s first season.
“It’s a great feeling,” Brown said. “It’s why we are a team. … We have had guys contribute on multiple nights off the bench. Sky is the limit when you start to have that happen.”
Kevin Durant scored 27 points to lead Brooklyn but the Nets had no answers defensively against Sacramento. The 153 points allowed were the most ever in a regulation game in Nets history.
“We had great intentions,” Durant said. “They made shots. That’s demoralizing when you see teams making shots. It’s not like we didn’t try. They were better than us.”
The game was highly anticipated in Sacramento with the Kings getting a rare chance to play on national television. They made the most of their opportunity with a dominant performance fueled by the 27-4 second-quarter run.
Davis got it started with a 3-pointer that broke a 40-all tie midway through the period, and Sacramento didn’t miss another shot for nearly six minutes.
“It’s fun,” Huerter said. “You keep winning and people want to see you play. … We got good momentum here right now.”
The Kings made 10 straight shots from the field, with Davis leading the way with 10 points. Huerter capped it with the fourth 3-pointer for Sacramento during the spurt to make it 67-44.
Brooklyn missed nine of 10 shots during that stretch, with the Nets’ only points coming on a basket by Edmond Sumner and two free throws from Durant.
Sacramento didn’t stop there and built the lead to 109-70 on a 3 by Huerter with four minutes left in the third. It was the biggest lead at any point in a game for the Kings since they were up 44 on New York on March 3, 2015.
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The Nets had their second straight poor defensive game after starting off strong on that end under coach Jacque Vaughn. Brooklyn allowed 94 points per game and 38.8% shooting in Vaughn’s first six games as coach but gave up 134.5 points per game and 54.3% shooting the last two games in losses to the Lakers and Kings.
“I don’t know if our minds, our bodies and souls are still in LA,” Vaughn said. “LA can do that to you sometimes. … We definitely gave maximum effort against the Clippers and we’ve been reeling ever since.”
KYRIE UPDATE
Vaughn said before the game he had no update on when star guard Kyrie Irving would return from a team-imposed suspension for refusing to say he had no anti-semitic beliefs. Irving was suspended for a minimum of five games and has now missed seven.
Vaughn said GM Sean Marks is in “constant communication” with the NBA and owner Joe Tsai.
”He tells me when he has an update, he’ll let me know,” Vaughn said.
TIP-INS
Nets: The most points allowed by the Nets in any game came in a 161-157 double-overtime loss to Phoenix on Dec. 7, 2006. … Durant has scored at least 25 points in all 15 games this season.
Kings: The only time the Kings scored more points in the Sacramento era came in a 154-98 win over Philadelphia on Jan. 2, 1993. … Kings rookie Keegan Murray left in the first half with a back injury and didn’t return.
UP NEXT
Nets: Visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
Kings: Host the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
