Horford powers Celtics over Kings
BOSTON -- Al Horford scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help lead the Boston Celtics past the Sacramento Kings 97-92 on Friday night at TD Garden.
Horford's previous best this season since joining the Celtics on a four-year deal worth $113 million last offseason was a 20-point outing at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 21.
Isaiah Thomas had 20 points and seven assists, Jae Crowder added 16 points and Avery Bradley contributed 15 points and nine boards for Boston (11-8), which had lost two of three coming in.
DeMarcus Cousins totaled a game-high 28 points and nine rebounds, Rudy Gay added 13 points and eight boards and Matt Barnes chipped in 12 points and 16 rebounds off the bench for Sacramento.
Darren Collison added 13 points as the Kings (7-12) fell for the third time in four games.
Horford scored 12 of the Celtics' first 26 points, and Boston missed all but two 3-pointers to start the game while building a pair of 13-point leads in the opening period.
After Bradley's jumper put the Celtics up 29-16, the Kings ended the quarter on a 13-0 run to tie it.
The teams combined for seven points in the first 3:23 of the second, and neither side led by more than three in the quarter.
Boston cooled off from downtown after its 4-for-6 start, making three of its next nine 3s to finish 7 of 15 for the half while taking a 47-46 lead into the break.
Cousins scored 10 in the third as the Kings went ahead by as many as five, but only led 72-69 entering the fourth.
Rudy Gay's jumper with 11:09 to play put Sacramento up 74-69, but that lead quickly evaporated and the lead changed hands several times down the stretch.
Jonas Jerebko's reverse layup at 7:31 broke a 76 all tie and Boston scored eight unanswered points to pull away. Sacramento came within 95-92 on Cousins' 3 with 39.1 seconds to go.
Thomas came up well short on his potential dagger 3 over Cousins with 15.9 seconds on the clock, giving the Kings a chance to tie it.
Horford came up with a steal out of a Sacramento timeout to seal the win.
Cousins left the game with 7:08 on the clock after sustaining an apparent cut above his eye. He was treated by a trainer and went to the locker room, but returned with 5:17 remaining.
NOTES: Sacramento played for the first time since Wednesday's game at the Philadelphia 76ers was postponed due unsafe playing conditions caused by condensation on the court. "We hadn't played (since Monday), so we tried to scrimmage a little bit and keep our timing as much as possible (at practice Thursday)," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. ... Boston PG Isaiah Thomas was picked last (60th overall) in the 2011 draft by the Kings and played his first three seasons in Sacramento, averaging 15.3 points and 4.8 points. "I'm very impressed with what he's become as a player," Joerger said. ... Kings C DeMarcus Cousins is the subject of enduring trade rumors, including ones involving the Celtics. "I'm a King. I'm good," Cousins said Thursday when asked about the rumors. ... Boston visits the 76ers on Saturday and Sacramento is at the New York Knicks on Sunday.