The Sacramento Kings remain with one of the league's worst records. But they sure haven't looked the part in three straight double-digit wins.
The Sacramento Kings somehow made their 11-30 record look very deceiving in the past week.
They've ignited a three-game winning streak amid this current seven-game home stand. But it's who they toppled that makes it more astonishing.
Here are five Roundtable takeaways in looking at this sudden surge by the Kings.
1 -- One 'Precious' Revenge
Clearly Precious Achiuwa was annoyed by his phone blowing up with trash talk on the other side of his group text.
Achiuwa had former New York Knicks teammates blasting his phone ahead of Wednesday night's showdown. But he responded by dropping 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in hitting season-high marks.
He not only took down one of the East's best teams with Sacramento, but fittingly lit the beam up after the victory.
2 -- Long Range Defense Arrives
Not being discussed enough is the defense, despite allowing more than 100 points in both wins.
Except the long range patrol bottled a high-volume three-point shooting team on Wednesday. New York finished a dismal 8-of-41 from behind the arc.
Yet the Lakers hit a near similar mark -- hitting just 8-of-36.
Houston was non-effective too, going 7-of-30 from three-point land.
3 -- DeRozan Reignites Scoring
DeRozan's 11-point outing against the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 4 looks like an afterthought.
He's dropped 20 points or more since then during the last five games -- especially going off on all three teams his Kings have beaten.
He's dropped 22, 32 and then a team-high 27 during the winning streak. He even grabbed six rebounds, the best mark he's hit this month.
4 -- Zach LaVine Delivering Strong Opening Month of Year
LaVine surfaces on news feeds for trade rumors. Especially the report of him attempting to orchestrate a deal with the Atlanta Hawks.
But few have discussed his recent scoring surge.
LaVine began January scoring 20 on the Bucks. Then added another 20-point outing versus the Mavericks.
He's scored 18, 19 and 25 during the winning streak -- the latter point total arriving on Wednesday.
5 -- Kings Climbing Out of Top Pick of Lottery?
The Kings remain in the top five in the current NBA Draft Lottery projections released Wednesday evening.
But they're not at No. 1, nor even at the second pick.
Sacramento is slotted at No. 3 currently behind the New Orleans Pelicans and the current favorite to claim the top pick the Indiana Pacers.
But at No. 3, Sacramento could find itself grabbing Cameron Boozer out of Duke or Darryn Peterson from Kansas to reignite the franchise.
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