Cousins, Kings slip past Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY -- DeMarcus Cousins scored 21 points, collected eight rebounds and hit several key free throws in the final minute to rally the Sacramento Kings to a 94-93 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Ty Lawson added 19 points off the bench to lead Sacramento to its fourth win in six games. The Kings (12-17) shot 18 of 36 (50 percent) from the field after halftime to fuel the comeback.
Cousins scored 55 points Tuesday in the Kings' home win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert both had double-doubles to lead the Jazz (18-12). Hayward finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Gobert added 17 points and 14 rebounds. The loss snapped Utah's three-game home winning streak
Sacramento rallied from 20 points down in the second half and took just its second lead of the game, 90-89, when Cousins made two free throws with 1:08 left.
Utah had one last chance after Cousins twice missed free throws in the final seconds. However, Hayward missed a layup with 5.9 seconds left. Cousins hit two more free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining to ice the win.
Utah had no trouble starting strong against Sacramento this time around. The Jazz scored on their first four possessions -- highlighted by a pair of baskets from Gobert -- to jump out to a quick 8-4 lead. They held onto that lead through the remainder of the half.
Utah opened up a double digit lead midway through the second quarter, going up 33-23 on a pair of free throws from Gobert. The Kings briefly rallied and cut the deficit to 39-35 after Darren Collison drove for a layup and Arron Afflalo drained a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.
The comeback didn't last long. The Jazz answered with a 9-0 run to push the lead back to double digits. Hayward took a steal from Joe Ingles in for a dunk, and Shelvin Mack followed with a 3-pointer to cap off the spurt and give Utah a 48-35 lead with 44.5 seconds remaining before halftime.
Utah's shooting onslaught continued early in the second half. The Jazz rattled off nine more unanswered points to stake a 62-42 lead with 7:30 left in the third quarter. Utah capped the run with a brilliant sequence. Ingles buried a 3-pointer. Gobert then blocked Cousins on the other end, and Boris Diaw fed Hayward in transition for another 3-pointer.
Sacramento erased the lead entirely in the fourth quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Afflalo and Garrett Temple cut Utah's lead to 75-73. Then, the Kings tied it at 88-88 on a pair of free throws from Lawson with 1:59 remaining.
NOTES: Jazz G Rodney Hood (flu-like symptoms) and G Dante Exum (left knee tendinitis) did not play. ... Kings G Rudy Gay missed his fifth straight game with a right hip flexor strain. Gay last played in a 116-92 win over the Lakers on December 12. ... Utah C Rudy Gobert registered his ninth straight double-doubles, the longest active streak in the NBA. He is averaging 16.7 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game during that stretch. ... F DeMarcus Cousins ranked in the top 10 in the NBA in free throws made (186) and free throw attempts (246). He made 10 of 13 foul shots Wednesday. ... Utah tops the NBA in opponents' points per game (94.9) and opponents' field-goal percentage (.425).