Danny Wolf injured as Nets fall to Kings despite Ben Saraf’s career-high 22
Both teams were tanking, but Sunday at Golden 1 Center still turned into a night where young and fringe rotation players on each side were asked to step up. The Sacramento Kings entered the day in fourth place in the draft lottery standings, a half-game behind the Nets for third. Brooklyn arrived on a six-game losing streak, playing without Michael Porter Jr.
, Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney, Day’Ron Sharpe and Egor Dëmin. Sacramento came in on a two-game skid and was missing Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Russell Westbrook and others. Something had to give, and by the end, it was the Nets who walked out with the same result they’ve been living in.
Brooklyn fell to the Kings 126-122, dropped its seventh straight and sank to 17-54. The Nets shot 52. 3%, committed just seven turnovers and forced 17, but Sacramento had more offensive firepower and executed better late.
If Brooklyn’s season has been about finding small wins inside messy nights, the first half looked like one of them. The Nets outscored Sacramento 62-57 on 54. 3% shooting, with contributions coming from basically every healthy body Jordi Fernández could throw on the floor.
Seven Nets scored at least six points in the half. Rookies Danny Wolf, Drake Powell, Nolan Traoré and Ben Saraf all chipped in, and Saraf led Brooklyn at the break with 10 points. Malachi Smith, on a 10-day, gave the Nets eight points in his first 10 minutes off the bench.