Kings 111, Nets 109
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Power forward DeMarcus Cousins scored 40 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and point guard Rajon Rondo had a triple-double with 23 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 111-109 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night at Sleep Train Arena.
Rajon had his third triple-double in his past four games for the Kings (3-7), who won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Guard Ben McLemore came off the bench to score 15 points for the Kings and reserve guard Marco Belinelli had 14.
The Kings were without starting forward Rudy Gay, who was out with a stomach virus, but Cousins picked up the scoring slack. He fouled out with 44 seconds left, one point shy of his career scoring high.
Cousins made 13 of 27 shots from the field, 2 of 4 from long range and 12-of 13 from the free throw line.
Guard Jarrett Jack had 21 points and 13 assists for Brooklyn (1-8). Center Brook Lopez added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Thaddeus Young had 16 points and nine rebounds, forward Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 points and guard Joe Johnson added 14.
The Kings trailed 60-54 at halftime but finished the third quarter on a 19-8 run to build an 85-82 lead entering the fourth. Cousins scored the Kings' first 15 points during that spurt, drilling two 3-point shots.
Cousins hit a 10-foot jumper with 6:33 left, increasing Sacramento's lead to 97-89. McLemore drained a 3-point shot with 4:13 remaining, making it 100-93.
Cousins' three-point play with 1:34 left gave the Kings a 107-100 lead with 1:34 showing.
The Nets refused to fold. Johnson drilled a 3-point shot with 21 seconds left as Brooklyn cut the lead to 109-107. McLemore made two free throws with 15.3 seconds left, increasing the Kings lead to four.
Trailing 111-109 with 1.1 seconds left, Brooklyn inbounded the ball in Sacramento's end, but Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein tipped the pass and Rondo intercepted.
After losing their first seven games of the season, the Nets broke through for a 106-98 victory on Wednesday victory at Houston, but their bid for back-to-back wins fell short.
The Kings were coming off just their second win of the season, a 101-92 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday at home.
The Nets led by as many as 15 points in the first half but settled for a 60-54 edge at the break.
Bogdanovic came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points. Jack had 11 first-half points, and Lopez and Young each had 10. Larkin scored eight points off the bench, going 2 of 2 from long range.
Rondo led the Kings in the first half with 14 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds. Cousins had 10 points, despite 1-of-10 shooting from the field, and nine rebounds.
NOTES: Kings starting F Rudy Gay missed the game because of a stomach virus. Gay is averaging 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He had 25 points in Sacramento's 101-92 win over Detroit on Wednesday. "I think he was feeling bad after practice a little bit, but I think it came on," Kings coach George Karl said. "He texted our medical staff about 11:30 last night." ... Kings F Caron Butler, a 13-year veteran, started in Gay's place. He entered the game averaging 3.0 points. ... Nets F Chris McCullough (right knee) and F/C Willie Reed (torn ligament, right thumb) were out for the ninth straight game. ... Kings backup G Seth Curry (right ankle sprain) returned to action after missing two games, but backup G Darren Collison (left hamstring strain) missed his fourth straight game. ... Nets rookie F Hollis-Jefferson made his fourth straight start.