In a night that felt destined for redemption, the Sacramento Kings fell in abysmal fashion yet again, this time 121-104 to the Atlanta Hawks on their second night of a back-to-back from the Fortress in Georgia.

Without Terence Davis and De’Aaron Fox in tonight’s contest, it was announced that Davion Mitchell would fill in as starting point guard alongside Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt for the second time this season. Atlanta was at full strength tonight with a clean injury report for the first time in two years, and a five-game win streak on the line.

Mitchell opened the contest with 10 points, shooting and scoring a perfect 4-4 before missing a shot. The bounce that Off Night provided was much-needed as the Kings offense flowed through the first frame led by a combination of success beyond the arc and getting where they wanted in the paint. Sacramento held Atlanta to a 21-point quarter, leading by 12 points on 60% shooting from the field heading into the second frame behind seasoned and effective play.

Fouls and turnovers plagued the Kings in the second frame, as the Hawks were able to cut into the lead at the line and in transition. A 9-0 Hawks run gave the opposition momentum where a shift in the ballgame was palpable. Bogdan Bogdanovic gave Sacramento an all too familiar performance – hitting three consecutive three-pointers to extend Atlanta’s lead by five.

The lead swelled to as many as 17 in the quarter, swinging the completely opposite direction as the Hawks prevailed in the second frame 67-50.

It didn’t let up in the second act, as Sacramento came out of the locker room with seemingly zero adjustments. Atlanta were able to feat in the paint, thriving off the pick and roll and beyond the arc while Sacramento remained careless. Without the offensive flow they were feeling in the first quarter, the Kings looked lost and disgruntled – nothing out of the ordinary.

Not a good look in totality of this back-to-back, as Sacramento looks to claim their first victory of this East Coast swing on Saturday in Philadelphia.