Sacramento, behind a triple-double from De'Aaron Fox and 27 points from Buddy Hield, became the latest team to exploit Atlanta's third-quarter troubles and coasted to a 146-115 road win, extending its winning streak to five games.
Fox, the second-year pro from Kentucky, scored a career-high 31 points. He was 9-for-13 from the floor and added 15 assists and 10 rebounds.
Hield scored 20 or more points for the fifth straight game. He was 10-for-17 from the floor, including 5-for-7 on 3-pointers, and added five rebounds, six assists and two steals.
The Kings won in Atlanta for the first time since 2006, breaking an 11-game road losing streak. Sacramento also got 19 points from Nemanja Bjelica and 18 points and five rebounds from first-round draft pick Marvin Bagley III.
The Hawks lost their fourth straight game. Atlanta got a season-high 23 points from Jeremy Lin, who was 8-for-13 from the field. Rookie Trae Young and Kent Bazemore each scored 14 for the Hawks. Young had 10 assists, but committed eight of the team's 22 turnovers.
The Kings outscored Atlanta 46-23 in the third quarter and expanded a five-point halftime lead to 28 points. Atlanta has been outscored by an average of 13 points in the third in its last five losses, but Thursday's 23-point margin was the largest of the season.
The 146 points is the most scored by the Kings and the most allowed by Atlanta this season. It marked the fourth time this season that Atlanta has allowed 125 or more points.
The Kings had a great first quarter, outscoring the Hawks 35-29 behind Hield's nine points. The Hawks came back and closed to within a point on Tyler Dorsey's basket with 52 seconds left and the Kings led 69-64 at halftime.
Atlanta plays again on Saturday when it hosts Miami. Sacramento completes its four-game East Coast road trip with a game at Milwaukee on Sunday.
--Field Level Media
Sacramento | Atlanta | |
De'Aaron Fox 31 | Scoring | Jeremy Lin 23 |
De'Aaron Fox 15 | Assists | Trae Young 10 |
De'Aaron Fox 10 | Rebounds | Alex Poythress 8 |
De'Aaron Fox 10 | Free Throws Made | Alex Len 7 |
Willie Cauley-Stein 3 | Steals | Taurean Prince 2 |
Buddy Hield 1 | Blocks | Kent Bazemore 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Sacramento | 146 | 54.1 | 14-35 | 26-32 | 38 | 46 | 3 | 14 | 14 |
Atlanta | 115 | 48.3 | 8-31 | 23-34 | 26 | 43 | 6 | 6 | 22 |