Kings demolish Cavaliers 124-80, Earn 3rd Straight Win

Jan 12, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings point guard

(22) extends for the ball ahead of Cleveland Cavaliers power forward

(13) during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-80. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings pulled off a romp for the ages in a 124-80 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon. Isaiah Thomas led the way with 26 points, six assists and four rebounds, while DeMarcus Cousins added 16 points and 11 rebounds and Rudy Gay scored 20.

The Kings (13-22) held the Cavaliers (13-24) to 38% shooting on the night and the 80 points scored by Cleveland was a season low for the Kings defense. Star point guard Kyrie Irving had just seven points and five assists on 3-14 shooting, while new Cavalier Luol Deng had 12 points and five boards in just his second game with the team.

Jan 12, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings small forward Rudy Gay (8) reaches for shooting guard

(23) after a play against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-80. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Nothing to Dislike: Aside from a handful of missed dunks, there wasn’t anything for Coach Mike Malone to dislike on Sunday afternoon. The Kings set season records on both sides of the ball, and nearly all his players had spectacular games.

Rudy Gay was again an exceedingly efficient option, scoring his 20 points on 8-12 shooting and 3-5 from three. Jason Thompson continued his recent string of solid performances, getting eight points and a season high 16 rebounds. Derrick Williams (13 points, 4-6 shooting), Jimmer Fredette (13 points on 5-9 shooting) and Quincy Acy (5 points, one explosive dunk and 17 minutes of bulldog defense) continued to provide excellent minutes off the bench.

The shooting guard position was the only one of any concern. Marcus Thornton and Ben McLemore combined for 14 points on 4-11 shooting.

Isaiah Wins – Again: The narrative writes itself when Isaiah Thomas (60^th overall selection in the 2011 Draft) plays against Irving (1^st overall selection in same draft), but Thomas again won the battle against the higher profile Irving. Kyrie struggled with his offense all game long, and Thomas simply outhustled him on both ends. Thomas continued to attack offensively, drawing 11 free throws while making 10 of them.

Home Stand Ends: The Kings managed to pull off excellent wins in all three of their home contests this week – Sunday’s win came after an 123-119 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers (28-9)  and a 103-83 win over the struggling Orlando Magic (10-27).

The competition gets much tougher as the Kings hit the road for a six-game trip with stops at the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder this week.