Late Kings Run Hands Nets Seventh-Straight Loss

In their final homestand ahead of two-straight road matchups, the Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Sacramento Kings to the Barclays Center in hopes of snapping a six-game losing streak. Tasked with defeating Jordi Fernandez's former employer, Brooklyn fell to Sacramento 110-96 at the Barclays Center.

D'Angelo Russell led the Nets with 19 points and four rebounds, but huge performances from De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis would quickly become the main storyline. Left without Ben Simmons or Cam Johnson, Fernandez and company were forced to rely on an unexpected duo early on.

D'Angelo Russell was a revelation out of the gates, guiding Brooklyn's offense through his crafty scoring ability. The veteran guard tallied a quick eight points, complete with a four-point play, but the Nets' offense began to spiral following his exit.

However, the team's newfound spark plug, Tosan Evbuomwan, instantly picked up the slack.

Spearheading a 15-0 run nearly all on his own, Evbuomwan erupted for nine points in just six minutes of play. Sacramento's tandem of De'Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan compensated for a lackluster 6-point combination from Malik Monk and Keegan Murray while preventing Brooklyn from holding more than a 10-point advantage.

Each Kings' star posted 14 points apiece, but that wouldn't prevent the visitors from trailing at the break.

Russell and Evbuomwan frequently got to the free-throw line, each surpassing 10 points to give the Nets their first halftime lead since the Dec. 8 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Fox caught fire in the third, and unfortunately for Brooklyn, his hot stretch coincided with the awakening of Monk.

Sacramento's backcourt converted at will, outpacing the Nets' scoring attack while Domantas Sabonis feasted on the boards. Those aspects resulted in a 12-0 Kings run that evaporated Brooklyn's narrow halftime advantage while recapturing their first lead since the scoreboard read 22-21.

Brooklyn still managed to boast four players in double figures heading into the fourth, but 30 points from Fox and 18 rebounds by Sabonis neutralized the balanced attack.

Even though everything seemingly worked against the hosts in the third, they only faced a two-point deficit heading into the fourth.

That trend continued into the final frame, as the Nets couldn't keep their opponent out of the interior.

The Kings road their lethal paint attack to boost their field goal percentage over 50% while orchestrating a crucial 13-2 run. Thanks to the spurt, Brooklyn's gap grew to 12 with just five minutes to play.

Behind Sabonis' dominance, Sacramento's lead grew up to 17 as the three-time All-Star inched toward a 21-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. With no answers for the 28-year-old big man, the Nets would only add 18 points in the fourth quarter compared to the Kings' 30, turning a once-competitive matchup into another double-digit falter.

Having completed its four-game homestand, Brooklyn heads to Charlotte to take on the Hornets to begin a mini-road trip. Following the Wednesday night matchup, the Nets travel to Houston for a Saturday night bout with the Rockets to kick off the month of February.

To access the final box score from the Nets' loss to the Kings, click here.