A Royal Pain
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Kings Bench Comes Alive In Win Over Hawks

By Anthony Cardenas

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 8: Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings controls the ball during the third quarter of a game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on November 8, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 8: Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings controls the ball during the third quarter of a game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on November 8, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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The Sacramento Kings second unit made strides in their victory over the Hawks. They must keep it going if they want to see results in the win column.

There are plenty of contributing factors to the Sacramento Kings slow start to the season, and one of them may have rectified itself on Friday night in Atlanta.

During the offseason, the goal of the Kings’ front office was to bolster the roster with role players and add depth to a second unit that struggled at times last year. The additions of Trevor Ariza, Richaun Holmes, Dewayne Dedmon, and Cory Joseph weren’t seen as glamorous, and many around the NBA questioned how Sacramento decided to spend their hoards of cap space.

During the early part of the season, the pundits looked like they’d be correct. The Kings struggled out of the gate, due in part to the underperformance of the second unit.

Friday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks might have been the coming-out party for the Sacramento bench.

The second unit scored a combined 50 points, easily their highest total of the young season. Trevor Ariza was a huge factor, hitting clutch contested threes in the fourth quarter to keep the Hawks at bay. His 14 points were a season-high and his largest scoring output since March 9th.

Another big contributor for the Kings was Bogdan Bogdanovic, who dropped 20 points on 5/6 shooting from beyond the arc. The third-year guard from Serbia has seemingly shaken out of his early shooting slump, having scored a combined 42 points over the last two games on 11/17 from deep.

The confidence and consistency of Bogdanovic are of the utmost importance for Sacramento. He is the undisputed leader of the bench unit and has been since at least last season. He struggled to continue his hot streak that began with his impressive showing in the FIBA World Cup over the summer, and the second unit struggled along with him.

Bogdanovic will look to continue his upward trend against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, against whom he scored 15+ in each of their four meetings last season.

The rest of the Kings bench was solid as well. Joseph hit a couple of mid-range jumpers in the first half that extended the Sacramento lead, and Harry Giles made his season debut, and was impressive in his limited playing time. Dedmon played just 11 minutes against his former team and scored 4 points.

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The Kings will need another solid effort from the bench in their game on Tuesday against the Trail Blazers, particularly on the defensive end in guarding noted King-killer Anfernee Simons.

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