76ers at Kings
The Sacramento Kings look to ride the momentum of a season-high, three-game winning streak into another successful performance against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. Sacramento's surge has featured three victories by a combined 10 points, thanks to the continuing domination by DeMarcus Cousins on the interior.
Cousins began the winning streak by scoring a season-high 55 points versus Portland and then added 21 as the Kings rallied for a one-point win over Utah. In Friday's four-point triumph against Minnesota, Cousins posted 32 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, four steals and two blocks for Sacramento, which has outscored its opponents 96-62 during the fourth quarter in the last three games. "I think we're starting to realize what it takes to win games," Cousins told reporters. "We're doing a great job of playing together, moving the ball, getting everybody involved. Guys are having fun right now. Everything's just clicking." Philadelphia has lost four of its last five, allowing at least 100 points in all five of those contests.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, CSN California
ABOUT THE 76ERS (7-22): Philadelphia allowed 70 second-half points in Friday's 123-116 loss to Phoenix as the team wasted a 13-point halftime advantage in falling to 0-1 on its four-game West Coast road trip. Joel Embiid recorded 27 points and is averaging a team-high 18.4 despite playing fewer than 30 minutes in every game. Sergio Rodriguez added 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting after making 8-of-29 shots over his previous three outings.
ABOUT THE KINGS (13-17): Ty Lawson delivered a strong performance in support of Cousins against Minnesota, chipping in 15 points and four assists in a 28-minute run. Anthony Tolliver notched 17 points on 5-of-7 from 3-point range, making him 10-of-14 from behind the arc over the last three contests. Ben McLemore added seven points, but the former lottery pick has not scored more than 10 in a game since Nov. 16 and is averaging a career-low 6.3 points on the season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cousins has one double-double in his last five games after recording 11 in the previous 13 contests.
2. The teams split last season's season series with each winning on the other's home court as F Nerlens Noel scored 20 for Philadelphia in its victory.
3. This will be the first meeting between the teams this season after the matchup in Philadelphia was postponed last month due to condensation on the court.