With the surge of DeMarcus Cousins in the second half, the Sacramento Kings were able to grind out a victory tonight against the Brooklyn Nets 111-109. In the first half, the Kings struggled mightily on the defensive end, as the Nets scored 60 points in the first two quarters. But fortunately, the Kings buckled down and picked up their offensive rhythm (lead by a 21 point third quarter by Cousins), which resulted in a win.
Top three Sacramento players that I took away from this game were Cousins with 40 points and 13 rebounds, Rajon Rondo with 23 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds (third triple-double in four games), and Ben McLemore with 15 points, 3 assists, and 3 made three pointers.
The most important positive that I took away from this game was that the Rondo-Cousins combo is turning out to be what fans hoped it would. With the mix of Rondo’s playmaking ability plus Cousins’ dominance from the perimeter and the paint, they both were able to carve out the Nets defense in the second half.
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Since Darren Collison has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, Rondo has stepped up his game big time in his absent. In the last four games, Rondo has averaged 14.8 points, 14 assists, and 9.8 rebounds per game.
Rondo continues to show more and more flashes of the All-Star point guard he once was in the past, and the Kings are going to need Rondo to continue playing that way if they want to see the postseason this season.
One additional positive: McLemore tonight showcased his best game of the season so far. Tonight he was aggressive on both sides of the court, which resulted in solid defense and hitting threes. Hopefully this is the start of McLemore finally getting out of a nightmarish slump that he started the season with. McLemore has the potential to be an X-Factor for the team going forward, and hopefully this game has given him more confidence in his game.
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The most negative part that I took out of this game was that the Kings remain to play inconsistent against opponents. Although Sacramento came out with a win, it was against the Nets, and it came down to the very last second of regulation time.
This was a game that Sacramento needed to win, and win with ease, but it ended up taking a super hot Cousins and Rondo in the second half to barely squeak out the win.
Overall, the dominance of both Cousins and Rondo tonight was the reason the Kings came out on top with their second consecutive win. The next game that Sacramento will face will be on Sunday where they play against a more competitive team in the Toronto Raptors (record 7-3).
Next: Game Preview: Nets at Kings
If the Kings replicate how they played in the first half of tonight’s game against the Raptors, a single-handed Boogie rally isn’t going to be enough to win on Sunday.