Preview: Kings at Bulls

[February 10, 2015]  DeMarcus Cousins pulled the Sacramento Kings out of a slide with his game-winning shot on Sunday but still doesn’t seem happy. Cousins and the Kings will try to make it two in a row against a stiffer front line when they visit the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. Rumors of a second coaching change and Cousins’ reluctance to accept veteran George Karl on the bench seemed to be the point of a postgame rant about “God’s plan” after Sunday’s 85-83 win over Phoenix.

The mercurial All-Star put up 28 points and 12 rebounds against Phoenix to help snap a three-game slide but did not want to talk about his buzzer-beating jumper after the game. "I ain't pumped up. I've just got a lot on my mind," Cousins told reporters. "The crazy thing about it is, I've just got a question for y'all: How you gonna stop God's plan? How you gonna do that?” The Bulls are coming off their own tight win after squandering a big lead and then pulling out of a hole down the stretch in a 98-97 win at Orlando on Sunday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), CSN Chicago

ABOUT THE KINGS (18-32): Sacramento let well-regarded coach Mike Malone go when the team went into a slump with Cousins injured earlier in the season and replaced him with Ty Corbin, who has struggled to get the team winning consistently. The Kings have not won back-to-back games since a three-game winning streak from Nov. 20-25 that began with a 103-88 home win over Chicago, and Sunday’s victory marked the second in the last 13 games. “Our guys have been on edge,” Corbin told reporters. “I told these guys that the only thing you can control is your play on the floor. Speculation will be around as long as you're in this league.”

ABOUT THE BULLS (32-20): Chicago finished up a six-game road trip with back-to-back wins to come out even at 3-3 but returns home having dropped five of the last seven in its own arena. “Now we have two home games (before the All-Star break) and we have to win them,” Pau Gasol told reporters. “We have to do better at home; we have to come out with fire. ... The windows are small (for titles) and when you have a (chance) you have to go for it with everything you’ve got or somebody else will.” Gasol picked up his 12th straight double-double with 25 points and 15 rebounds against the Magic and is one ahead of Cousins (32) for the league lead in that category.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Gasol needs three more double-doubles to tie Michael Jordan’s franchise record of 15 straight set in the 1988-89 season.

2. Sacramento F Rudy Gay (foot) and PG Darren Collison (hip) both sat out Sunday and are day-to-day.

3. Chicago G Kirk Hinrich (toe) is questionable after sitting out Sunday.

PREDICTION: Bulls 105, Kings 91

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.