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 "Longest streak so far," said Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins, who
had his 24th double-double of the season with 24 points and 15
rebounds. "I think we got a good, solid win tonight. Definitely not
satisfied. Still got a long way to go. I just want to keep moving
forward."
Kings guard Rajon Rondo recorded his fifth triple-double of the
season with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. He tied Chris
Webber's record for the most triple-doubles in a season in the
franchise's Sacramento era.
Sacramento (19-23) ended its 15-game losing streak to Atlanta,
beating the Hawks for the first time since Feb. 28, 2008. The Kings
also solidified their hold on the No. 8 spot in the Western
Conference.
"It feels like we're headed in the right direction, but based on how
our season's been going, we can't have our guards down," Kings guard
Darren Collison said. "We're playing really well. We've got a good
winning streak. We've just got to keep playing well. We're not
shooting for the eighth spot. We want to move up in the playoffs."
Forward Paul Millsap had his 16th double-double of the season with
14 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawks, whose three-game winning
streak ended. Guard Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 12
points, while forward Kent Bazemore and center Al Horford scored 11
apiece.
Atlanta (26-18) saw its lead in the Southeast Division over the
second-place Miami Heat fall to 2 1/2 games.
Guard Ben McLemore scored 14 points for the Kings, and forward Omri
Casspi had 13. Rookie center Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 points and
a career-high 11 rebounds.
The Kings trailed 50-49 early in the third quarter but went on an
18-0 run to take a 67-50 lead with under five minutes left in the
period. Cousins and Cauley-Stein ignited the burst with back-to-back
slams, and McLemore converted a four-point play, drilling a 3-point
shot, drawing a foul and making his free throw.
The Hawks, however, fought back, cutting their deficit to 72-63
entering the fourth quarter. They opened the fourth on a 10-2 run
and pulled into an 80-80 tie when Bazemore hit a jumper from the
left wing with 5:45 left.
"I'm proud of the fight to get back in the game," Hawks coach Mike
Budenholzer said. "It's tough when you're on the road to get down
17. I think there were stretches where just they had more energy
than us. They beat us to some 50-50 balls. They beat us on the
boards."
Casspi answered with a 3-point shot, putting Sacramento ahead 83-80
with 5:25 remaining.
The Kings led 88-85 with 41.3 seconds left after Cauley-Stein hit a
pair of clutch free throws, but Schroder nailed a 3-point shot,
making it 88-88.
Rondo gave Sacramento a 90-88 lead with a driving lay-in with 12.9
seconds left, taking a handoff along the baseline from Cousins, who
drew a crowd.
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"I had a feeling it was going to happen," Cousins said. "I was
trying to make the best decision, best play."
Millsap, under pressure from Cauley-Stein, committed a turnover with
3.3 seconds to go.
"The play broke up," Millsap said. "I was supposed to get a
catch-and-drive to the basket. Hesitated a little bit. I may have
lost the ball on my footing or something. I don't know. It was a
funky play."
After Collison hit one of two free throws with 1.9 seconds left, the
Hawks had one more chance, but the inbounds pass in Sacramento's end
was off line, and they never got a shot off before the horn.
The Kings jumped to a 27-20 lead after one quarter but settled for a
47-44 edge at halftime.
Cousins had a double-double by halftime with 13 points and 10
rebounds. Rondo had six assists, five rebounds and three points,
while Cauley-Stein chipped in eight points and seven rebounds before
the break.
Millsap led Atlanta with eight first-half points.
NOTES: Kings starting F Rudy Gay was ruled out for Thursday's game
with a left heel contusion. F Omri Casspi started in his place, his
16th start of the season. ... Kings C/F DeMarcus Cousins finished
10th among Western Conference frontcourt players in fan voting for
the NBA All-Star Game starters. He was an All-Star last season for
the first time. ... Hawks G Dennis Schroder is Atlanta's only
double-digit scorer off the bench at 10.6 points per game, but coach
Mike Budenholzer said his backups make a huge contribution on
defense. "It seems like some benches are built around some unique or
dynamic scorers," he said. "I think our bench has shown an ability
to come in and have a big impact defensively, which we like. It fits
us." ... Hawks F Paul Millsap entered the game as the NBA's only
player averaging at least 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists,
1.0 steal and 1.0 block per game.
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reserved.]
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