Kings at Nets
The downward spiral of the Brooklyn Nets reached six straight losses on Friday, and the team does not appear to be getting any closer to a victory. The Nets will try to end their slide when they host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Brooklyn dropped its last six by an average of 19.7 points, capped by a 118-97 setback at Indiana on Friday against a Pacers team that was missing Paul George and C.J. Miles. "I think it came down to competitiveness," Nets center Brook Lopez told reporters after the latest loss. "They outworked us and they were more focused than us for the majority of the game. We were lax on both ends of the floor." The Kings could use a break after enduring a five-game homestand against San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto, Oklahoma City and Houston, during which they posted a 2-3 mark. Sacramento had a chance at winning the homestand but allowed the Rockets to bury 21 shots from 3-point range in a 117-104 loss on Friday.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE KINGS (6-10): Sacramento posted impressive wins over Toronto and Oklahoma City before Friday's letdown, and first-year coach Dave Joerger sees improvement. "We're getting better," Joerger told reporters. "We've played some good teams. We've played better as of late. ... We're starting to find a nice mix of chemistry between guys that are playing together at different times." Center DeMarcus Cousins remains the star, and he turned in a remarkable stat line on Friday with a career-high five made 3-pointers and five blocks to go with 32 points and nine rebounds.
ABOUT THE NETS (4-11): Brooklyn is still learning to play with the pace and style new head coach Kenny Atkinson prefers on the offensive end, and the defensive end remains a work in progress. The Nets are hoisting more 3-pointers than ever before and from all positions, including the center spot. Lopez buried 2-of-3 from beyond the arc in Friday's loss to bump his total to 25 made 3-pointers - 22 more than he recorded in the first eight seasons of his career combined.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets SG Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) sat out Friday and is day-to-day.
2. Sacramento second-year C Willie Cauley-Stein is drifting out of the rotation and did not see the court in either of the last two games.
3. The teams split the two-game series last season, with Brooklyn capturing a 128-119 home win on Feb. 5.