SACRAMENTO -- For the first time in two weeks, the Kings' victory beam will not illuminate the Sacramento sky on Wednesday night.
The Kings' seven-game win streak came to an end following their 115-106 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
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Sacramento trailed the Hawks 72-57 at the half, and despite making it a six-point game in the third quarter, were unable to bounce back from the early deficit.
De'Aaron Fox, who before this game was averaging 25.9 points on 55.5 percent shooting from the field and 40.8 percent from deep, along with averaging 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds this season, finished with 18 points on 35 percent shooting from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range in the loss.
He had three points in the first half.
Fox did step it up in the second half, but the Kings couldn't keep up with Trae Young and the Hawks.
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With Fox unable to lead his team to victory for the first time since the win streak began, the Kings needed someone to step up on the floor. It was Malik Monk and Trey Lyes who brought the energy off the bench early on for Sacramento.
Monk finished with a team-high and season-high 27 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from deep. Lyles added 12 points.
Domantas Sabonis finished with a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double and had seven assists.
Here are three takeaways from Sacramento's loss.
Historic win streak ends
The Kings entered the 2022-23 NBA season with a new head coach and one goal in mind: Get to the playoffs.
It's something they haven't been able to do in an NBA-record 16 seasons.
But changes, both big and small, made by coach Mike Brown already have made an impact in the 916. A culture that was lacking for a very, very long time was re-established in Sactown. A purple beam was created to represent every Kings' win. Fans are packing Golden 1 Center like it's the postseason.
And then the Kings won seven straight games for the first time since 2004.
Wednesday was their chance to win eight straight for the first time since November 2003, but those efforts fell short.
Their victory beam will not be lit for the first time in 14 days.
Atrocious defense
The Kings looked absolutely lost on defense in the first half and basically were playing catch-up the rest of the game.
In the first two quarters, Atlanta shot 66.7 percent from the field and took advantage of Sacramento's sloppy and careless eight first-half turnovers. The Hawks turned the ball over three times during that span.
After four quarters of basketball, Atlanta shot 44.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three.
Davion Mitchell's ball-pressure and defensive efforts have helped the Kings win big games this season. He brought that same energy on the defensive end on Wednesday, but it still wasn't enough.
The Kings had no answers for Trae Young. The young star finished with 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from the 3-point line. He also dished out seven assists.
Huerter's return to the ATL
Kevin Huerter returned to State Farm Arena for the first time since being traded to Sacramento on July 6.
Huerter called Atlanta home for four seasons, but has a new home in Sacramento and is making the most of it. The sharpshooter is averaging 16.7 points on an incredible 50.5 percent shooting from the field and 50.0 percent from behind the arc.
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But it looked like nerves got the best of him in front of his old squad.
He finished the game with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from deep, missing shots he always makes. He also had five assists and three rebounds.
It was the second game of a back-to-back, so fatigue certainly could have played a part in the loss for Huerter and the rest of the team.
Huerter will get a chance for revenge on Jan. 4 against his old squad. Hopefully next time, it's a different outcome for Sacramento.