If you happened to be one of those fans that turned the game off after the end of that horrific first quarter, I don’t blame you.

For those of you that stayed for it all, I applaud you.

After the end of the first quarter, the Sacramento Kings found themselves trailing 28-9 to a Chicago Bulls team hoping to put an end to their six game skid. It looked like they would cruise to an easy win to end that skid, but the Kings thought otherwise.

The Kings would go on and outscore the Bulls 95-70 over the final three quarters. This game was an example of two things: It’s not over until it’s over and it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. #MondayMotivation

The Kings would get clutch threes from Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic followed by a Willie Cauley-Stein dunk that would eventually seal the deal at 104-98.

Best Performers

Bogdan Bogdanovic: After multiple games of not playing like his usual self, Bogdan Bogdanovic came alive to lead the team in points with 15. All of his field goals came off threes and he also nailed all six of his free throws. In 30 minutes, Bogdanovic also added four assists, four rebounds and two steals. That clutch three over two defenders (beautifully captured in the cover photo for this article by our own Kimani Okearah) was absolutely amazing. #RisingStar

George Hill: With the trade deadline looming (it will be said all week), George Hill led the bench in scoring with 14 points and also added five assists and four rebounds in 25 minutes. He gave the Kings their first lead when a putback dunk saw the Kings go up 69-68. Who even knew Hill could dunk? Hill also saw an increase of minutes due to De’Aaron Fox’s ankle injury. But was this the last game for Hill as a King? We’ll find out soon enough.

Buddy Hield: Again, Buddy Hield is getting that #SkalTreatment as he only saw 21 minutes of action. However, Hield’s three to give the Kings a 96-93 lead partially made up for it. I want more Buddy! He also added one assist, two rebounds and one block. Three of Hield’s four field goals were threes. Coincidence? #Rising Star

JaKaar Sampson: JaKaar Sampson was all over this game for good and bad reasons. The bad? He was posterized by Bulls guard Zach LaVine. The good? His spark. Every bench needs a guy to bring this spark and Sampson was able to bring it today. He only played 18 minutes but made his impact felt. He scored nine points (4/5 shooting), loudly grabbed six rebounds and emphatically blocked a shot. Sampson also made a three that was huge for momentum.

Notable Performers

Justin Jackson continues to look better after each game and you can’t be mad about that. He finished the game with 11 points, one assist, four rebounds and one steal. His ability to get to the rim without the ball made a difference today in getting easy baskets when needed the most. He actually scored the first shot of the game for Sacramento with 6:03 left in the first quarter. Again, that first quarter was a little hard to watch.

Zach Randolph: Z-Bo played 28 minutes and while he struggled with 5/13 shooting, he did make baskets when necessary. Randolph slowly scored 11 while getting four assists, nine rebounds, one steal and two blocks. Does any team make a move for him?

Garrett Temple: Garrett Temple was a difference maker in that second quarter and got baskets when nobody else was. He finished with 12 points, three assists, one rebound and one steal in 26 minutes. Do we see Temple traded?

Notable Stats

Kosta Koufos had five points and six assists, while Cauley-Stein added seven points and six rebounds. He only played 16 minutes thanks to five fouls. Maybe next game he becomes that “dog”.

After a horrible shooting start, the Kings ended with a better shooting percentage than the Bulls at 44%. Bulls shot 40%.

The Kings didn’t have a free throw in the first quarter but they ended 19/25 for the night. Way better than the six they had against Dallas.

The Kings were out-rebounded 46-45 and out-stolen 6-5. On the flip, Sacramento out-assisted Chicago 22-20, out-blocked 5-1 and had less turnovers and fouls which are always good.

For Chicago, Zach LaVine led the way with 27 and Justin Holiday followed up with 20.

Quick Takeaways

De’Aaron Fox injured his ankle in the second half. Hopefully he gets better quick for the Portland game but if not, his long-term health is more important.

Robin Lopez is a big crybaby. Literally. He asked to get kicked out and the refs obliged him. What is it with Chicago big men losing their minds in Sacramento?

The Kings came back to win in this game similar to the one against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Next Game

Sacramento hosts the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday (2/9) at 7:30 PM in what will be their last game at home before the All-Star break.