Russell, Nets stay hot in rout of Kings
D’Angelo Russell scored 31 points and the Brooklyn Nets extended their home winning streak to six games with a 123-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
Russell shot 12-of-25 and made 7 of 14 3-pointers. He became the first Net ever to hit at least seven 3-pointers in consecutive games — which he has done in three of four games — and also recorded his eighth game of at least 30 points this season.
Russell’s latest strong performance occurred after he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. He helped the Nets win for the 17th time in their last 22 games to match the best 22-game stretch since the team moved to Brooklyn in 2012.
The 22-year-old guard was particularly effective in the third quarter, when the Nets shot 70 percent (14-of-20) and outscored Sacramento 38-25. He gave the Nets the lead for good with a 3-pointer that put Brooklyn up 66-64 with 9:14 left in the frame and hit two more during an 11-0 run to give Brooklyn a 77-66 lead with about six minutes left.
Russell scored 14 points in the third on 5-of-6 shooting, and Brooklyn carried a 93-85 lead into the fourth. The Nets secured their latest win early in the fourth by opening the quarter with a 15-4 run, and Russell reached 30 points when he hit a floater in the lane for a 114-92 advantage with about 5 1/2 minutes left.
Joe Harris added 19 points for the Nets, who shot 50 percent and outscored the Kings 68-34 after halftime. Rookie Rodions Kurucs chipped in 16, while Ed Davis and Jarrett Allen finished with 16 and 12 rebounds, respectively, helping Brooklyn to a commanding 56-37 margin on the glass.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Kings with 22 points, but Buddy Hield was held to 11 on 4-of-10 shooting, two days after scoring 35 and hitting the game-winner at Detroit.
Reserve Justin Jackson contributed 14, while Willie-Cauley Stein finished with 12 as the Kings shot 41.9 percent and dropped to 1-2 on a season-long six-game road trip that continues Tuesday in Toronto.
Before the Nets dominated the second half, Russell hit two 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter as the Nets took a 29-23 lead. After sevenfirst-half lead changes, the Kings took a 60-55 lead into the break.
—Field Level Media
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