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 It's becoming a reliable formula for one of the surprising teams
in the competitive Western Conference.
Guard Darren Collison scored 21 points and center DeMarcus Cousins
added 19 as the Kings held off the Denver Nuggets for a 110-105 win
on Monday night.
Forward Carl Landry had 14 points off the bench and forward Reggie
Evans had 14 rebounds for the Kings (3-1), who have won three
straight after an opening-night loss to Golden State.
It's the first time in four years Sacramento has won three of its
first four, and a big reason is defense.
"The fact that we have been able to play defense the way we have has
allowed us to weather the offensive struggles," Kings coach Michael
Malone said. "You hold teams to 38, 39 percent, you're going to be
able to weather the storm when you're struggling on offense."
The Kings held the Los Angeles Clippers to 37 percent shooting
Sunday and the Nuggets to 39 percent on short rest. The method has
allowed Sacramento to stay in games and take pressure off its
offense.
"We're playing some pretty tough defense," Cousins said. "To top it
off, we're playing so well together and the chemistry is coming
along great."
The Nuggets are searching for that chemistry with a 12-man rotation.
Monday they had seven players in double figures, led by guard Arron
Afflalo and center JaVale McGee, who scored 16 apiece.
It was the second straight game Denver struggled offensively.
Against Oklahoma City on Saturday the Nuggets had just 33 points in
the first half.
"We're pressing a lot on making shots," guard Randy Foye said. "We
need to be free, be relaxed and let it come to you. The only thing
we need to press on is defending, running and rebounding."
Denver couldn't stop the Kings without fouling, committing 35. The
teams combined for 80 free-three attempts and 63 fouls.
"Some of it is being out of position, so then we're reacting instead
of initiating," Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said of his team's defense.
"We let Cousins and Landry and their bigs flash in front of us and
posting up. Those guys are good at using their bodies and bringing
the contact."
The fouls and free throws slowed down the game, which was tight
throughout. Sacramento led most of the way before Denver (1-2)
battled back midway through the third quarter. The lead changed
hands several times into the fourth quarter.
The teams were tied at 90 with 5:52 left in the game and traded
baskets on the next three possessions until guard Ray McCallum's
layup put the Kings ahead for good, 98-96 with 3:17 remaining.
Denver missed three shots on the other end, and Sacramento
capitalized when forward Rudy Gay's three-point play gave the Kings
a 101-96 lead less than a minute later.
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McGee's put-back and a block on Gay gave Denver a chance to tie with
a minute left, but Foye's 3-pointer was off and Cousins responded
with two free throws on the other end.
"A lot of our shooters missed a lot of open shots," Foye said. "The
shot I had, I thought it was going down. I shot it perfectly."
Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler drained three foul shots with 25.6
seconds left to get Denver within two but the Kings hit five of
their next six free throws to ice the win. Sacramento finished the
game 40-for-47 from the line with Collison draining the last three.
"Any given night it's somebody's night," Cousins said. "One night it
was Rudy, another night it was me and tonight it was D.C. We're
worried about the main goal, which is winning the game, and not
about the stats."
Denver guard Ty Lawson had 12 assists on his 27th birthday.
The Kings led 51-46 at intermission behind 12 points from Cousins
and 11 from Collison. Afflalo led the Nuggets with 11 points in the
first half. Five players had three fouls and the teams combined to
commit 32 in the first two quarters.
Both teams were cold to start the game. The Kings missed their first
six shots and Denver hit just two of its first 16, one of which came
on a goaltending call. Both teams shot 26 percent in the first
quarter.
NOTES: Nuggets F Wilson Chandler was moved into the starting lineup
in place of F Danilo Gallinari, who is still working his way back
from two ACL surgeries on his left knee. Denver is limiting
Gallinari to around 20 minutes per game. ... Kings G Nik Stauskas'
three blocks Sunday matched the most by a Sacramento rookie in his
first three games. ... Denver coach Brian Shaw has moved JaVale
McGee to the backup center position. In the Nuggets' first two
games, McGee was the third center behind starter Timofey Mozgov and
rookie Jusuf Nurkic. ... Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins and Denver F
Kenneth Faried were teammates on the U.S. team that won the gold
medal at the FIBA World Cup in Spain this summer.
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