Sluggish. Slow to react. Embarrassed.
Some losses you can't explain. After a bumpy start, the Kings looked solid through the first half against the Brooklyn Nets. And then the wheels completely fell off the bus in a 123-95 loss.
"The second quarter, we were much better defensively," coach Dave Joerger told reporters in Brooklyn. "We just didn't come out with that same intensity in the second half."
Sacramento was outscored 35-28 in the third quarter, and then they didn't even show up in the fourth. The Kings only scored nine points in the fourth quarter, while the Nets added another 30.
The final outcome was a completely forgettable shellacking.
This happens on occasion in the NBA. One team loses their energy, and the other goes for the jugular.
Sports
Brooklyn is a quality opponent. They play extremely hard for coach Kenny Atkinson, and they have no issues scoring at an extremely high clip.
After starting the season 8-18, the Nets are 17-5 and in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Sacramento is in the midst of a long road trip. They were coming off of an extremely emotional win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. They looked both mentally and physically exhausted in the second half, and the Nets took advantage.
During the final 24 minutes, the Kings shot just 15-of-47 (31.9 percent) from the field and 2-of-8 (25 percent) from behind the 3-point line. After turning the ball over four times in the first half, Sacramento gave it away 10 times after the intermission.
Iman Shumpert shot 1-of-10 from the field overall. De'Aaron Fox finished 4-for-14 and Buddy Hield scored just 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Kings were a mess in the second half. They were outrebounded 26-18 after the break, and 56-37 overall. They allowed the Nets to shoot 61.9 percent in the final two quarters, including 8-for-17 from behind the arc.
D'Angelo Russell did plenty of damage, scoring 18 of his game-high 31 in the second half. But, it was a team effort for Brooklyn.
The Kings don't have long to think about the loss. Following the game, they hopped a plane for Toronto, where they'll face a tough Raptors team Tuesday evening of the second night of a back-to-back.
They'll need a much better effort, of Toronto will hand them another lopsided loss.
