The All-Star break can’t get here soon enough for the Sacramento Kings who phoned in another loss on Monday night.
The skid is now at four games as the Kings fell apart again on the defensive end, this time to the Cleveland Cavaliers by a final of 120-100.
LeBron James made it look easy. The former MVP ran circles around the Kings on his way to a 21-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, his first of the season.
With James breaking down the defense, Kyrie Irving punished the Kings from the outside. The All-Star guard scorched the Kings for 32 points on 13-for-21 shooting and added 12 assists in the win.
J.R. Smith and Marco Belinelli went at it early, but Smith finished with the better night. The talkative guard scored 22 points on 6-of-13 from long range. Kevin Love added 11 points as the Cavs improved to 37-14 on the season.
Rudy Gay missed the Kings previous game with a sprained left ankle, but he fought through pain to put up 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The veteran wing added seven rebounds in the loss.
Despite the Kings tailspin, Omri Casspi continues to bring energy off the bench. The versatile forward dropped in 16 points and grabbed six rebound.
DeMarcus Cousins didn’t have his typical impact on the game. The Kings All-Star big man finished the night with 14 points and eight rebounds while hitting just 5-of-14 from the field.
Rajon Rondo picked up his 3,000th career rebound, making him one of only 30 players in NBA history to score 6,000 points, hand out 5,000 assists, grab 3,000 rebounds and pick up 1,000 steals. Against Cleveland, he managed seven points, 16 assists, eight rebounds, but turned the ball over six times.
Rookie Willie Cauley-Stein added 13 points and is gaining confidence with his offensive game. Darren Collison chipped in 11 points and five rebounds and Kosta Koufos scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench.
STANDOUT PERFORMER:
James coasted to a triple-double. He’s an NBA legend, but the Kings provided very little resistance. Irving had a nice game as well, but plenty of his points came after this game was decided.
TURNING POINT:
This game was over early. The Cavs led by eight points after the first quarter, 16 at the break and 21 going to the fourth. That’s what happens when you allow your opponent to score 30 points or more in every quarter.
INJURY UPDATE:
Rudy Gay shook off a sprained left ankle to play 27 minutes in the loss. Ben McLemore missed his second straight game with a sprained right wrist.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Kings finish off their four-game road trip in Philadelphia against the 76ers on Wednesday before taking off for the All-Star break.
