Prior to a surprising 18-point home loss to the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 25 that preceded their current seven-game road trip, the Sacramento Kings claimed status as darlings of the NBA.

The Kings had ascended to first place in the Pacific Division behind the play of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, a pair of expected All-Stars playing the best basketball of their careers. Sacramento seemed assured of ending a postseason drought that stretches back 16 years on the back of the highest-scoring offense in the NBA and a style of play that earned countless raves.

On Sunday, with Fox sidelined for a second consecutive game due to personal reasons, the Kings suffered their worst loss of the season, 136-104, to a New Orleans Pelicans team missing a trio of starters. The Kings were lethargic from the opening tip and have struggled mightily against opponents playing the second game of a back-to-back.