Tobias Harris scores season-high 37 as 76ers rout Kings despite absence of Joel Embiid

The Kings were involved in their third consecutive blowout to begin their five-game road trip Friday.

Only this time, against the Philadelphia 76ers, they were on the losing end.

Sacramento fell 112-93 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia despite the 76ers missing reigning MVP Joel Embiid, who was out with a knee injury. The loss came after the Kings won by 21 and 25 points in Detroit and Charlotte on Tuesday and Wednesday against two of the NBA’s worst teams.

Philadelphia came into the game with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers pestered the Kings with the league’s second-ranked defense, limiting De’Aaron Fox and Co. to a rough shooting night before coach Mike Brown emptied the bench midway through the fourth quarter while trialing by 22 points.

“They tipped almost every pass,” Kings center Domantas Sabonis said afterwards. “They were getting their hands on the ball and we just had to be stronger with the ball.”

The Kings finished their third road game in four nights shooting just 34%, their lowest mark of the season. They made just 8 of 39 from 3-point range (20.5%). They turned the ball over 17 times leading to 29 points for the 76ers.

“Bottom line, we turned the ball over, and when we had 3s, most of them were pretty good looks, we didn’t make them,” Brown said. “If we go 8 for (38) from the 3-point line with the types of turnovers that we had against these guys, it’s going to be hard for us to win.”

Of the Kings’ 15 losses on the season, 10 have come by double figures — as have six of their eight losses on the road.

Their propensity to lose big has been a troubling theme for the Kings, who are hoping to contend in a crowded Western Conference after earning the No. 3 seed in last year’s playoffs. The Kings dropped to sixth in the West, a half game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks. The top six teams will earn automatic playoff bids. They next four will compete in the play-in tournament.

The Kings’ last season went 0-6 against the top three teams in the Eastern Conference — Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia — who all played a similar brand of physical defense like they saw Friday night.

“They were definitely very physical tonight,” Brown said. “And they were physical in the right way and they knocked us off our spots. They swiped at the ball and they might have hit arm and some hand, but not enough to where, especially in a playoff series, you can really complain about it. You just have to be stronger with the ball.

“We got to get off the ball sooner and hit singles and not try to make the (splashy) play. Because you have try to make the play against these guys, as long as they are, and as much as they try to gamble, as much as they’re into your body, it’s going to be a turnover. And it was proven tonight.”

On the defensive end Friday, the Kings struggled to contain veteran forward Tobias Harris, who poured in a season-high 37 points while going 14 of 25 from the floor and 3 of 7 from 3-point range. Harris stayed in the game late to try eclipsing his career-high of 39 points, getting chants of “Toby” from the home crowd before checking out with 3:13 remaining.

The Kings were paced by Fox’s 21 points. Keegan Murray and Malik Monk each had 15.

Sabonis extended his double-double streak to 21 games, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds, giving him an NBA-leading 33 double-doubles on the season.

Harris scored 14 points in the first quarter and 23 in the first half while Tyrese Maxey added 17. The 76ers took a 65-46 lead into the break while Sacramento struggled to get going, shooting just 7 of 27 from 3-point range.

Sabonis struggled in the first half. He had three fouls and three turnovers while scoring just two points against Philadelphia’s backup centers.

But he scored eight points in the third quarter, while Monk added 10 after changing his shoes at halftime, and Sacramento outscored the 76ers by five in the frame, cutting the lead to 14 heading into the fourth quarter. The Kings made eight of their nine free throws in the third.

The 76ers opened the final quarter outscoring the Kings 16-10 over the first seven minutes, leading to Brown waving the white flax and putting in his reserves.

Fox’s numbers in January have come down since his banner month of December, when he averaged 29.0 points, 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds on 48/44/71 shooting splits.

In six January games before Friday, his scoring was down nearly 10 points to 19.5 with 4.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds. His shooting has dropped to 42/33/68.

Fox made team history with a free throw at the end of the first quarter, passing Chris Webber (8,843) for the fourth-most points scored in the Sacramento era.

Without Kevin Huerter, who missed the game with an ankle injury, Brown was searching for an answer among his players who have been out of the rotation. He started with Colby Jones in the first quarter before trying Juan Toscano-Anderson and then Keon Ellis.

Said Brown: “I just wanted to give a different look ... maybe knock down a couple of shots from some different guys and see what happens at the end of the day. That’s all it was, was just me searching. Because in situations like this, I will probably continue to search. ... It’s hard to fight back and a catch a team like that if you keep doing the same thing over and over and over again.”

Kings dealing with trade rumors

The NBA’s trade deadline is approaching Feb. 8 and the Kings have been a popular team among reports and speculation in recent weeks.

Sacramento was recently linked to a deal involving Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, according to reporting from the Athletic, which also reported those talks ended last week when Siakam made it clear he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal with the Kings before becoming a free agent this summer.

Whether it’s Siakam, Bulls wing Zach LaVine or Kyle Kuzma of the Wizards, three Kings players have been popular names in potential deals: Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter and Davion Mitchell.

All three have had seasons below expectations and are playing fewer minutes than last season. Huerter is currently dealing with an ankle injury that prevented him from playing Friday. He recently returned to the starting lineup after getting demoted to the bench for five games. He recently told The Sacramento Bee this season, which has included the worst shooting of his career, has been a “roller coaster.”

Barnes before Friday scored in the single digits in five of his last nine games. Mitchell has been in and out of the rotation, battling for minutes with Ellis.

Brown before Friday’s game was asked if he has to address trade rumors with players.

“Sometimes, but at the end of the day, everybody knows that it’s a part of the business. Not just for players — for everybody else,” Brown said. “We won 60 games when I was in Cleveland and I had reporters sitting outside my house because I was about to get fired — and I did get fired.

Brown continued: “It’s just something that everybody in the business goes through at some point in time. Obviously, at the end of the year, and the trade deadline, everybody’s human and they’re going to feel a certain way. You have empathy for them, but you figure out a way to keep moving forward. That’s one of the reasons why we get paid the salary that we get, to deal with certain scrutiny that we get openly from the public. ... There’s a lot of times rumors are out there, and that’s just what they are, just rumors.”

Upcoming schedule

Jan. 14 at Milwaukee Bucks

Jan. 16 at Phoenix Suns

Jan. 18 vs. Indiana Pacers

Jan. 22 vs. Atlanta Hawks

Jan. 25 at Golden State Warriors