For the first time in 17 years, Sacramento has a winning team again.
Domantas Sabonis had 24 points and 21 rebounds, and the Kings clinched their first winning season since 2005-06 by beating the Brooklyn Nets 101-96 on Thursday night.
De’Aaron Fox added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Kings, who improved to 42-27, second in the Western Conference.
They hadn’t finished above .500 since going 44-38 in 2005-06, the last of eight consecutive playoff appearances under Rick Adelman.
🗣 15 GAMES OVER .500
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 17, 2023
LIGHT THE BEAM 🔦🟣 pic.twitter.com/0sfa05ASn8
The Kings have had a losing record in the other 29 seasons since moving to Sacramento but are in good shape to end the NBA’s longest current postseason drought in their first season under Mike Brown.
“I think being here for over four years now, and seeing the bottom — the very bottom — and to see the frustration of fans and the people in the organization, I think it’s nice to be on the other side it,” veteran Harrison Barnes said.
“A lot of people, they don’t get a chance to stay in an organization long enough to see the good times and the bad, they just see the bad side.
So I consider myself fortunate to be able to be part of this moment.”
The Kings improved to 10-2 since the All-Star break by turning to their defense on a night their usually potent offense stalled while playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
They won Wednesday in Chicago when Fox’s 3-pointer gave them a 117-114 victory.
