Kings at Timberwolves
Both Sacramento and Minnesota will be in dire need of a win when the two meet on New Year's Day in Minneapolis. The Kings fell to 2-6 under new coach Tyrone Corbin after a woeful 106-84 loss at Boston on Wednesday that included an embarrassing sequence for star center DeMarcus Cousins. The fifth-year pro had a season-low 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting before he was ejected for throwing Celtics rookie Marcus Smart to the ground in the fourth quarter, an act that may warrant a suspension.
"I got to make better decisions," Cousins told reporters after admitting he had a problem with Smart's physical play. "The team depends on me every night and I just can't do things like that." The Timberwolves have dropped nine straight following a 100-94 setback at Utah on Tuesday, their longest slide since an 11-game losing streak in 2011-12. Cousins recorded 31 points and 18 rebounds as Sacramento picked up a 113-101 win at Minnesota on Nov. 22, part of an impressive 9-5 start that now is a distant memory for the Kings.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), FSN North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE KINGS (13-19): Cousins' poor performance was just part of an awkward showing, at best, for the starting five as Corbin shuffled things around to no effect in the team's sixth straight road loss. Ryan Hollins was given the start in place of Jason Thompson, who had started each of the team's first 31 games but was the lone King not to appear in the loss to Boston. Hollins was a non-factor in 11 minutes, Rudy Gay shot 4-of-19 and the first five combined for a measly seven assists against 11 turnovers.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (5-25): Minnesota is still several days away from getting starters Ricky Rubio and Kevin Martin back, which leaves the spotlight on rookie Andrew Wiggins and second-year pro Shabazz Muhammad. The pair have given Timberwolves fans something to be excited about, combining for 51 of the team's 94 points on Tuesday while producing only two turnovers in a combined 78 minutes. Wiggins is averaging 20 points over his last four games while Muhammad has posted 17.1 points with a 58.8 percent mark from beyond the arc in eight starts.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Minnesota is 2-16 against Western Conference opponents.
2. Wiggins scored 29 points in the loss to Sacramento earlier in the season.
3. Sacramento ranks fifth in 3-point percentage defense (33.2) while Minnesota is 27th (37.7).