INDIANAPOLIS _ The Kings failed to lead at all for the second game in a row and began their three-game trip with a 101-83 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Kings' fifth consecutive loss drops their record to 1-6. Another slow start had them trailing 9-0 and Indiana would lead by as many as 28 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic led Indiana (4-3) with 17 points. Domantas Sabonis had 12 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. De'Aaron Fox came off the bench to lead Sacramento with 18 points, 12 coming in the fourth quarter.
Also for the second consecutive game, the Kings failed to score 90 points. Kings' scoring droughts are to be expected, but this one lasted from start to finish.
Outside of brief moments when the Kings sped up the game, easy scoring opportunities were rare. On Sunday against Washington, a collection of young players couldn't get it going. On Tuesday, with veterans in the lineup, it didn't change.
The Kings shot 42 percent, but that's skewed by converting 57 percent (15 of 26) of their field goals in the fourth after the game had long been decided.
The Kings shot just 14 free throws, including only two from the starters. What's worse, the team made just seven of those attempts.
If the Kings' offense continues to struggle, attacking the lane and living at the free-throw line can help.
Bogdan Bogdanovic started his second consecutive game at small forward. Outside of Rudy Gay's stint in Sacramento, stability at the position has been absent since the days of Ron Artest. Bogdanovic, who is unrelated to the Pacers' Bojan, might be the solution for now. He had seven points on 3-of-7 shooting, two rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes against the Pacers.
