Kings needed a belief game and win over Bucks qualifies

The Kings needed a win they could actually feel good about. And they finally found one in Milwaukee.

Zach LaVine scored 31 and Sacramento held off the Bucks 135-133 on Saturday. But this was not about numbers as much as it was about how the Kings answered a night that looked like another road collapse.

Milwaukee came out firing. Bucks fans were hitting halfcourt shots. The whole night felt like one of those games that gets away early.

Then Sacramento fought back.

Coach Doug Christie said this is the version of his team that he wants to see more often.

“I think that part of believing in something, sometimes you need to see it and you need to know it is true and it is there,” Christie told reporters, via Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “That team right there showed the type of fight that I think the whole city of Sacramento would be extremely proud of.”

Christie added that the Kings did not give in or complain. They just kept chipping away until the buzzer.

Dennis Schroder made it simple.

“We needed it bad,” he said. “Winning always feels good. Losing is not a good feeling, so this one feels great. It is really, really hard to win in this league, and we pulled one out today.”

Sacramento is now 2-4. It is only one win. But it is a win that showed the Kings have the potential to be more than also-rans in the Western Conference.

Next up is a visit to Denver on Monday.