Cousins-led Kings rally late to defeat Timberwolves
MINNEAPOLIS -- DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 32 points as the Sacramento Kings won for the fourth time in the past five games, rallying in the final quarter to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-105 on Friday.
Anthony Tolliver added 17 for Sacramento, which trailed by six with 10 minutes to play, but kept hitting from long range to overtake the Wolves. It was the sixth time this season that the Kings (13-17) have shot 50 percent or better from the field, and they are now 6-0 in those games. They had 15 treys in the game.
Minnesota, which was seeking its first three-game winning streak of the season, was plagued by a fourth-quarter fade yet again. The loss came despite a career-best 40 points from Zach LaVine. He tied a career mark with seven 3-pointers.
Trailing by three in the final 30 seconds, the Wolves (9-20) had two shots that would have forged a tie, but Karl-Anthony Towns missed both. He finished with 20 points and led all rebounders with 13 for his 10th consecutive double-double.
Minnesota led 55-51 at halftime, thanks in large part to LaVine's 25 first-half points -- 19 of them in the second quarter. That was a career best for LaVine in a half.
With Ricky Rubio in early foul trouble, LaVine was 4-for-4 from 3-point range, including hitting from three on consecutive trips down the court to close the half. Cousins came down hard while fighting for a rebound late in the first half, but still managed to lead all Kings with 11 points before the break, while Matt Barnes had 10. Towns led all rebounders with nine in the first half.
LaVine hit another three early in the second half, but the Kings tied things quickly at 60-60 when Cousins hit back-to-back threes for Sacramento. But the Wolves kept hitting from long range in the third quarter, leading by as many as nine and holding an 85-78 advantage entering the fourth.
NOTES: Minnesota entered the game leading the series with Sacramento 53-51, but the Kings have been gaining ground quickly. Sacramento's 106-103 win on Nov. 29 at the Golden 1 Center was its fifth consecutive victory in the series. ... The Kings were without F Rudy Gay for the fifth consecutive game and the seventh time this season. He has been nursing a hip injury. ... Kings coach Dave Joerger was home for the holidays, sort of, on Friday, back working in his home state for the first time on the Sacramento bench. "Not bad at all," Joerger said of the trip to Minnesota so close to Christmas. "With a day in between, it was great to see the family and hang out, smell a hot, warm kitchen and see some familiar faces. It warmed my heart. ... I have brothers that live down here. It was good." Joerger hails from the north-central Minnesota town of Staples (pop. 2,931). ... The Timberwolves are off until Christmas Day, when they face the Thunder in Oklahoma City. The Kings get a two-day break, then host the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.