The Sacramento Kings defeated the Chicago Bulls, 98-81, at United Center on Friday night.

The Kings (16-29) made some changes to their starting five in an attempt to stem a losing tide, and early on, the strategy appeared to be a success. Sacramento took a 29-21 lead through one, and although the Bulls (17-30) were more competitive in the second quarter, the visitors still held a 10-point advantage at halftime. Chicago was able to put a four-point dent in its deficit during the third, but ultimately, the visitors were stellar on the defensive end during the final period while limiting their hosts to just 12 points.

Buddy Hield, one of the displaced members of the first unit, paced the Kings with 21 points, adding eight rebounds, one assist and one block. Harrison Barnes turned in 19 points, complementing them with three boards, one assist and one steal. De'Aaron Fox supplied 18 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. Nemanja Bjelica totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Bogdan Bogdanovic poured in 12 points.

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 21 points, supplementing them with six rebounds, two assists and one block. Chandler Hutchison went for 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal. Thaddeus Young and Kris Dunn generated matching 10-point tallies while hauling in eight and six rebounds, respectively. Dunn also dished out six assists.

The Kings next pay a visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, while the Bulls pay a visit to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.