ATLANTA -- — De'Aaron Fox scored 26 of his 31 points after halftime and the Sacramento Kings rallied from a 23-point, first-quarter deficit to beat the Atlanta Hawks 117-110 on Friday night.
Domantas Sabonis had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who snapped a two-game skid.
Trey Lyles added 19 points and Malik Monk had 15 for the Kings.
“We got punched in the mouth, but we didn’t fold,” said Kings guard Davion Mitchell , who coach Mike Brown said was the defensive player of the game. “We played hard throughout the whole game.”
Trae Young led the Hawks with 24 points and matched a career high with five steals. Dejounte Murray had 18 points, but shot 7 for 20 from the floor for Atlanta, which has lost four straight and 10 of 13.
For the second straight game, Fox set a career high for made 3-pointers. He made seven against Portland on Tuesday, then topped that with 8-for-16 shooting from beyond the arc against the Hawks.
“They were giving him the 3-ball night. He’s shown he can knock that shot down. That’s a big night for him,” Brown said. “To set a career high in a game this close, with that many attempts, that shows that he can be a special player in this league.”
The Kings trailed for most of the night, and were down 14 with eight minutes to play before closing the game on a 24-5 run. The Kings shot 12 for 18 (67%) in the fourth quarter, while the Hawks were limited to 7 for 26 (27%). The Hawks did not score in the final 4:45 and missed their final eight shots.
“Just a huge defensive effort,” said Brown, whose team held the Hawks to 39% shooting for the game. “It started with our defense tonight.”
Jalen Johnson had 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
The Hawks were rolling early, building a 31=8 lead in just over eight minutes. All five starters scored in the first six minutes. The Kings gradually closed the gap thanks to Monk, who had 13 first-half points off the bench.
“I just try to provide a spark,” he said.
The Hawks ended the first half on an 8-0 run in the final minute thanks to Johnson's 3-pointer and layup, and a three-point play by Young that gave the Hawks a 71-53 lead heading into halftime.
Hawks starting forward De'Andre Hunter missed his sixth straight game with right knee inflammation.
UP NEXT
Kings: Visit the Grizzlies on Sunday to wrap up a three-game road trip.
Hawks: At the Wizards on Sunday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
AP recap, via ESPN