76ers 114, Kings 107
Robert Covington tied a career high with six 3-pointers en route to 24 points and Ish Smith sparked a decisive run as host Philadelphia survived an onslaught by DeMarcus Cousins and rallied from an 18-point, second-half deficit.
Smith had all 10 points and seven of his career high-tying nine assists after intermission for the 76ers, who tallied 37 points in the third quarter before improving to 2-2 during their five-game homestand. Nerlens Noel had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Philadelphia, which held Sacramento to 26-percent shooting after intermission.
Cousins scored 22 of his season high-tying 39 points in the first half and added a career-high 24 rebounds for the Kings, who scored 42 points in the second quarter to take a 13-point lead at the break before dropping to 2-5 on their eight-game road trip that concludes Saturday in Washington. Rudy Gay added 24 points and Derrick Williams scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half for Sacramento, which shot 56.1 percent in the first half.
Covington drained his sixth 3-pointer to start an 18-2 run to close the third period and Smith added five points and four assists during the burst that provided the Sixers an 88-82 lead. Smith assisted on Hollis Thompson's 3-pointer to open the fourth as the Sixers scored the first seven points of the quarter, and Noel dunked home an alley-oop from Smith with 42 ticks left after the Kings got within three.
Covington drained three 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the game to help Philadelphia build a nine-point lead. Cousins scored five as Sacramento ran off 11 straight early in the second quarter to take a four-point lead, and the All-Star added five more during an 11-2 closing run that provided the Kings a 64-51 edge at the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cousins, who shot 12-of-24 from the field and 15-of-20 from the line, had 15 rebounds in the first half to set a Sacramento record, breaking his own mark of 14 set on April 26, 2012 against the Lakers. … Covington's 19 first-half points were a team season-high for the 76ers. … The 76ers were 9-of-32 from the arc one game after tying a franchise high with 41 3-point attempts against the Bulls - making 11.