Monk and Westbrook ignite as Kings break lengthy home losing streak, dominating the Bulls with exceptional passing and timely offense.
The Sacramento Kings notched their 15th win of the season Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls by a score of 126-110, recording a few ridiculous box score figures on the way to snapping a 9-game losing skid at Golden 1 Center.
Malik Monk powered the Kings to victory with a game-high 30 points, narrowly edging out the 28 poured in by Chicago's Collin Sexton. Both electrifying guards came in scorching hot off the bench, but the Kings' complimentary production gave the former a boost.
In what was a fantastic display of decision-making, basketball I.Q. and ball security, Sacramento's collective passing effort was on point. The team dished out 33 assists on 47 made field goals while committing just 3 turnovers for the entire game.
Russell Westbrook led the way in the play-making department with a vintage 23-point, 12-assist, 11-rebound triple-double with zero giveaways, the 208th of his Hall of Fame career.
Rising rookie center Maxime Raynaud assisted Westbrook on the board, matching his 11 rebounds and pouring in 26 points of his own. He'd also reject three shots in his 38 minutes of work.
Precious Achiuwa turned in another solid effort with 13 points, 9 rebounds and a game-high +17 plus-minus, while Daeqwon Plowden scored 16 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
The frontcourt pairing of Raynaud and Achiuwa dominated inside against the Bulls' most reliable rim-protectors Nick Richards and Jalen Smith, contributing to the Kings' eventual 68-36 points-in-the-paint victory for the night.
Once the Kings threw down 4 first-quarter dunks through clever half-court sets and transition opportunities, the group began to work inside-out.
Sacramento eventually drained 37.9% of their 29 looks from three-point range on the evening, but it was the threat of their fearless rim-running that opened up Monk, Westbrook, Plowden and rookie Nique Clifford for clean spot-up attempts.
Clifford finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and one block in a shade under 31 minutes, racking up plenty of early deflections.
Monk came out with a different level of aggression to counter Sexton's unreal 7-for-9 shooting night from behind the three-point line, using his athleticism to draw fouls and knock down all 5 of his tries at the charity stripe. The Kings shot an uncharacteristic 21-for-23 at the line (91.3%) as a unit.
In every conceivable way, the Kings dominated the game from an offensive efficiency standpoint. Solid three-point productivity, excellent volume-plus efficiency at the line and their magnum-opus passing performance so far this season positioned them well to withstand Sexton's outburst, as well as Matas Buzelis' 20-point, 8-rebound, 4-assist and 3-block outing. Josh Giddey also registered a triple-double of his own with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Kings improved to 15-50, but an important stop in their tanking tour will bring about a meaningful matchup against the 15-49 Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.
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