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 "I felt, we felt, that our defensive effort just wasn't where it
needed to be," Kings center DeMarcus Cousins said. "It just wasn't."
In the second half, the defense went to a place the Kings would like
to see a lot more. The result was a 112-98 win over the Dallas
Mavericks at Sleep Train Arena that featured small-ball, an
impressive effort by the other Curry and the return of Cousins.
"The energy and effort," Cousins said when asked what changed in a
second half that saw the Kings hold the Mavericks to 35 percent
shooting and 40 points. "We played with some urgency."
The defensive effort was the best in a half by the Kings (7-12) this
season and helped them end a six-game losing streak to the Mavericks
that dated to Dec. 9, 2013. The Kings were allowing 109.1 points and
47 percent shooting by their opponents in their first 18 games, both
marks the worst in the NBA.
"When we make stops, everybody seems comfortable with how we play
offensively," Kings coach George Karl said.
Cousins scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his return to
the lineup after missing three games with back spasms. He made 10 of
24 shots from the field and also made all 10 of his free throws as
the Kings improved to 6-5 when he plays.
"Cousins had a monster night," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.
"He's a force in there, and we couldn't slow him down."
The free throws gave Cousins 1,798 in his career, moving the
sixth-year moved past Kevin Martin (1,791) into second on
Sacramento's all-time list. He is more than 800 away from tying
Mitch Richmond atop the list.
Sacramento forward Rudy Gay scored 20 points and added seven
rebounds, and guard Rajon Rondo had 21 points and five assists in
his first game against Dallas since his turbulent 46-game run with
the Mavericks last season.
Forward Chandler Parsons led Dallas (10-8) with 14 points, while
forward Dirk Nowitzki and center Zaza Pachulia added 13 apiece.
Pachulia pulled down 10 rebounds. Guard Devin Harris had 11 points,
while guards Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams each scored 10 for
Dallas.
Nowitzki also became the 13th player in NBA history to reach 10,000
field goals when knocked down a step-back jumper from 12 feet with
2:25 left in the first.
Kings guard Darren Collison finished with 15 points, forward Omri
Casspi added 10, and guard Seth Curry scored eight in a season-high
18 minutes for Sacramento. Karl played Collision, Curry, Collision
and Rondo together for heavy minutes in the second half, and the
small lineup led to open shots and helped contribute to 16 Dallas
turnovers.
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"It's kind of what I've been waiting on, an opportunity to play some
meaningful minutes," Curry said. "The last few games, we've been
kind of going through the motions and haven't been playing with a
lot of energy, so I just tried to come out there and bring what I
bring."
With the small lineup, the Kings played their best defensive quarter
of the game to take a 76-71 lead into the final period. Sacramento
held Dallas to just 13 points on 5-for-22 shooting in the third, its
best defensive period of the season.
"We're just not making shots right now," Carlisle said. "We've got
to stay the course and keep on firing."
Sacramento's small lineup began to turn things around in the second
quarter after Dallas forged a 41-27 lead. The Kings' guards caused
chaos, and the Mavericks missed 12 of their final 16 shots of the
first half and turned over the ball four times in the final six
minutes as the King sliced their lead to 58-54.
Sacramento then opened the second half with a 20-6 run to take
control.
NOTES: Kings G Rajon Rondo, who leads the NBA with 10.7 assists per
game, managed just 6.5 assists per contest during his 46-game stint
with Dallas a season ago that he told reporters before the game
"wasn't my best." ... Dallas G Deron Williams, signed to replace
Rondo, is averaging 5.6 assists in Dallas' first 18 games, nearly
three below his career average, but has made 48 of 51 free throws
(94.1 percent). ... C DeMarcus Cousins, who returned to the floor
Monday, has missed 31 of Sacramento's 88 contests since Nov. 28,
2014. Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki, now in his 18th season, has missed
only 31 contests in his entire career. Nowitzki needs to play six
more games to reach 1,288 and move into the top 20 on the all-time
list. ... Dallas G J.J. Barea missed his second game in a row with a
right ankle sprain.
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