The Sacramento Kings played just two games this past week with the All-Star break taking place this weekend.
They played two road games against the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
They finished with a 1-1 record, which is great because they have not had recent success playing against either of these teams.

After the two games, Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox, and Bogdan Bogdanovich headed to Los Angeles to play in the rising stars game which is for first and second-year players.
Let’s just say one of the three took home the MVP, but we will get to that.

First, the Kings traveled to Dallas to take on the Mavericks.
The Kings used a strong first half to set the tone for the game.
They scored 65 points and played stellar defense by only allowing 44.
The 3rd quarter was an even battle, which gave the Kings a 17-point lead going into the final period.

The Kings would let up near the end of the quarter by letting the Mavericks scored 38 points to just 26 for Sacramento.
Fortunately, the Kings were still able to hold on and win this game 114-109.
The Kings have now won four of their last five in Dallas after losing 22 straight games in a span of 13 years.

Visit Us: coldfeargames.com

Zach Randolph led the way with 22 points and 7 rebounds, while Bogdanovich added 19 points as well.
The 41-year-old, Vince Carter filled the stat sheet with 8 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. This game was absolutely necessary for the Kings to win because their next matchup against Houston was going to be a much more difficult challenge.

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Kings faced the Rockets. The Kings jumped out to an early lead with great defensive presence, only allowing 20 points in the first quarter.
We knew the Rocket's high-powered offense would catch fire eventually and that is what happened in the 2nd quarter.
They outscored the Kings 35 -20 and had a 10-point lead going into the half.

From there, the Kings were not able to make up the separation and shot nearly identical in the 2nd half as the Rockets.
Therefore, Houston went on to win 100-91. The Kings held the Rockets to just under 40% from the field and 28% from three-point range after shooting 49 three-pointers. The defense was definitely there for the Kings, but they left their offense in Dallas.

The Kings only attempted 8 free throws to 22 for Houston. Bogdanovich led the way for Sacramento with 20 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. No other player scored over 13 points for the Kings which cannot happen against arguably the most high-powered offense in the league.

Now that we are officially at the all-star break, the Kings were well represented in the rising stars challenge in Las Angeles. The ten best first or second-year players from the United States faced off against the ten best that are from another country.
Hield and Bogdanovich played for team World while Fox played for team USA.

In 26 minutes, Buddy Hield scored 29 points, including 5 three-pointers. In 22 minutes, Bogdan Bogdanovich scored 26 points, on 7 made three-pointers, and added 6 assists.
In 16 minutes for Fox, he had 4 points, 2 assists, and a steal. Since I said one of three took home the MVP, you are probably thinking it was either Hield and Bogdanovich.

Drum roll please…it was BOGDANOVICH. He had a game-high 7 threes and one of those was nearly shot all the way from Sacramento.
Buddy and Bogdan combined for 55 of the 155 points for team World. The future is bright in Sacramento.

With a 1-1 record and a rising stars MVP, it was a very positive week for the Kings. My player of the week, of course, goes to Bogdan Bogdanovich who averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1 MVP performance.
I know there is very little defense played in the rising stars game, but you still have to be able to score the basketball, and that is exactly what these young Kings did.

Next week, the Kings will only play two home games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers.
Even though it was a short week for the Kings, it was extremely encouraging.
Even if the wins are not coming in, this team is getting better each and every week.
Players are beginning to figure out their roles and no one’s ego is bigger than another’s. Now that it is the 2nd half of the season, I want to see this team finish strong, regardless of the win column.
Read Also: Xenoverse 2 Transformations – Dragon Ball