SACRAMENTO -- Kings guard Buddy Hield caught the inbounds pass from Cory Joseph with just over five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter Saturday, and he immediately turned the corner on the Phoenix Suns’ Rick Rubio. He had the angle and a wide-open run at big man Aron Baynes, who isn’t much of a shot-blocker.

It was a well-designed play and Hield’s decision to kick to a wide-open Harrison Barnes for a game-winning 3-point attempt was a very good choice.

Unfortunately for the Kings, Barnes’ 3-ball caught the front iron, glanced off the backboard and harmlessly dropped into the hands of Kelly Oubre for a 112-110 loss at Golden 1 Center.

“It came down to one possession, Harrison had a great look, great shot man if he’d made it,” a somber Buddy Hield said after Sacramento's sixth straight loss. “That’s the way the game is. If he’d made that, nobody would be mad, everybody would be happy and they’d be celebrating and full of smiles.”

For the second straight game, the Kings had an open shot at the buzzer to win it. For the second straight game, they missed the shot and left their home court with a loss.

It’s a demoralizing moment for any team, but these two defeats sting a little more than most. Thursday’s loss was to a Minnesota Timberwolves team that had lost 11 straight games. Phoenix was riding an eight-game skid and playing on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday.

“Losing always stinks, but it’s how you play sometimes, and tonight I thought we really competed out there and that’s the energy and fight I want to see,” coach Luke Walton said. “Give Phoenix credit. They made plays down the stretch, they hit some big 3s and we stuck right there and gave ourselves a chance.”

Even for the best teams in the league, the 82-game NBA season is a grind. When the ball continues to bounce the wrong way, when injuries continue to pile up and when losing streaks balloon to six games, like the Kings’ current skid, emotions can run hot.

That was the feel during the loss to the T-Wolves, but the locker room felt different on Saturday. Clearly the team wasn’t happy about losing, but they played better. In a 48 minute game, they made some mistakes and the accumulation of those errors cost them a golden opportunity to get back in the win column.

“We’re right there, but we still got to do the little things,” Hield said. “It comes down to all of the little things so we don’t get in those positions, but I say, sometimes basketball brings you to the last shot. You either make it or miss it.”

The little things Hield is speaking about can happen at any point during a 48-minute game. Hield turned the ball over with 1.8 seconds remaining in the first quarter and with 0.1 seconds on the clock, Bogdan Bogdanovic fouled Elie Okobo shooting a 35-foot 3-pointer.

Instead of taking a lead into the second quarter, the Kings trailed 31-30.

With just under three minutes to play in the second quarter and the Kings down by three, Richaun Holmes was called for a foul and then a technical. Walton wasn’t happy with the play and picked up a tech as well. In the blink of an eye, the Suns lead moved to seven points and they finished the half off strong to take a double-digit lead into halftime.

In the fourth quarter, Hield, Holmes and Barnes all missed free throws in the final 3:09. If two of those misses don’t happen, who knows how the game finishes.

“It’s hard, man, but you’ve got to take it and just look forward,” Bogdanovic said. “It’s the NBA, everyone makes mistakes.”

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After a 39-win season last year, the Kings had high expectations entering this season. At 12-20, it’s clear the lofty goals of this club are probably too ambitious. Even saying that, if the ball bounces the other way and the Kings would have won both of the previous two games, they would be 14-18 and in sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference standings.

It’s back to the drawing board for the Kings. They flew to Denver following the loss, where they’ll take on the 22-9 Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back Sunday. They’ll need to play a near-perfect game to pull off the upset.