Kings 127, Timberwolves 95
Samuel Dalembert took advantage of an injury to Kevin Love and controlled the inside with 26 points and 17 rebounds as the visiting Sacramento Kings crushed the Minnesota Timberwolves, 127-95, on Sunday.
Marcus Thornton added 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with nine assists and eight boards for the Kings (17-51), who moved ahead of the Timberwolves (17-54) in the race to avoid the worst record in the Western Conference.
Love, who had his streak of 53 consecutive double-doubles snapped last Sunday, saw his run of double-digit rebound games end at 56 when he was forced to leave in the second quarter with a groin injury. The All-Star forward finished scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting with three rebounds in 14 minutes.
Sacramento held an 85-75 edge after three quarters but really opened it up in the fourth, beginning the final frame with a 17-0 burst to put the game away. Thornton sparked the rally with a 3-pointer and Donte Greene hit a pair from beyond the arc during the spurt.
The Kings would stretch it to 114-84 when Greene nailed another 3-pointer with 3:25 remaining before coasting to the finish.
Luke Ridnour led Minnesota with 22 points.