The Sacramento Kings were humbled by a hard-charging Brooklyn Nets team that came back from 28 down to escape with a 123-121 win at the Golden 1 Center. Shooting guard Buddy Hield was thoroughly embarrassed for himself and his teammates, as a somber locker room was forced to reflect on the loss.

“You just have to mature and grow quick …have to learn to adjust,” said Hield, according to Sean Cunningham of ABC 10. “They're fighting for something. They had more fight (tonight) than we've had in the last two weeks trying to make the playoff push. That's a team that wants to play in the playoffs — they want it more than us.”

That's a big statement coming from one of the transformative pieces that has allowed this team to hunt for a playoff spot.

The Kings had a 25-point lead entering the fourth quarter, making it the largest blown lead in the final quarter in franchise history. Prior to it, the Kings had blown 17-point leads to the Golden State Warriors in 1978 and to the Charlotte Hornets in 2015. Sacramento also blew a 28-point lead against the San Antonio Spurs in 2017.

Head coach Dave Joerger wanted this thumping at the hands of Brooklyn to be “an opportunity to learn” — later saying he felt his team got way too comfortable with the lead, which ultimately led to their fate.

At this point, with the playoffs likely out of the picture, all the Kings can get out of the remaining games of the season is merely experience to use for the next — no matter how good or bad the results are.