SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings got back on track Saturday afternoon, dispatching the struggling Phoenix Suns by a final of 142-119.
The 142-point outburst was the most the Kings have scored in a game since dropping 154 on the Philadelphia 76ers exactly 23 years ago to the day.
It was a team effort for Sacramento. All 12 players that took the floor scored. Six players dropped in double-figures as the Kings improved to 9-9 on their home floor.
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The Kings shot an incredible 60.9 percent from the floor overall Saturday, but 69.4 percent in the deciding second half. They dominated the Suns on the glass to the tune of 46-25 and also handed out 30 assists, 15 of which came from point guard Rajon Rondo.
This is exactly what the doctor ordered after a brutal stretch of failures.
“It was an early start, an early game,” Rondo said. “We knew the team that jumped on the the other team early would get the advantage. We had two great practices the last two days and it carried over.”
The Kings didn’t start the game particularly well, but they used a 23-2 first quarter run to jump ahead of the Suns going to the second quarter. While they gave away a 17-point lead in the second, they had the look of a team ready to crush the opposition at any moment.
“We had to feel them out,” Rudy Gay said. “Every game in the first quarter is not going to be a blowout. We had to just feel them out and see where we could be the most successful.”
Once the Kings figured out the Suns, they ran them off the court. A third quarter ejection of veteran big man Tyson Chandler didn’t hurt, but the game was already on its way to a blowout.
The Kings had lost three straight coming into Saturday, including a devastating 110-105 loss to the 3-31 Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. You could see the tension building in the players, but two days of practice to refocus appeared to help.
“The one thing I can say we learned is we can’t underestimate any team,” DeMarcus Cousins said. “No matter how well we’re playing at the time, we can’t get comfortable playing a certain type. We have to bring it every night no matter who it is.”
At 13-20, the Kings can easily circle five games on the schedule that they could have or should have won. It’s not a great leap to say that this team easily could be 17-14 or even 18-15 on the season and pushing for a spot in the playoffs.
But it’s a new group in Sacramento. Despite being 33 games into the 2015-16 schedule, this team is still trying to figure itself out. A 142-point scoring display shows the Kings' enormous potential. Regardless of who is in front of them, they have the ability to compete when they play the game the right way.
“We have to go out there and have fun and play as a team and want to see each other do well,” Gay said. “That’s something that we just have to get better at -- being a good team. You’re going to have spells where you win games and lose games, but to be consistent, we have to play for each other everyday.”
Saturday’s win over the Suns isn’t a cure-all. This team has performed like this in the past only to fall apart the next day. If they are going to turn around the season, it’s pretty clear they know what they need more of.
“We had a lot of fun tonight,” DeMarcus Cousins said. “That’s the way it should be on a nightly basis. I mean, we have a job doing what we love to do, so we should definitely be having fun while we do it.”
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The Kings need all the positive vibes they can get. They play in Oklahoma City on Monday where they have never won in 14 attempts. On Tuesday, they travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks with an 0-8 record in the second night of back-to-backs.
COLLISON PUTS STAMP ON GAME
In a game of standout performances, Darren Collison’s second half jumps off the page. The veteran point guard has been one of the Kings more consistent performers this season, but his first-half numbers left something to be desired.
Collison, along with a mixed group of bench players and starters, struggled to keep the lead in the second quarter. It took a big finish from Cousins to keep the team from trailing at the half, after they led by as many as 17.
It isn’t all on Collison, as this game had crazy runs all over the place. But he finished the first half with two points and one assist in nearly 13 minutes of action. That is well below his typical production.
“Personally, I was a little lethargic in the first half -– I just tried to get myself going by picking up full court and seeing what happened. I think as a team, it’s the same thing. Our coach always says we have our best games when we pick it up on the defensive end. We did that, we got some easy buckets in transition, then it started clicking for us on the offensive end -– but defense was definitely the key.”
By getting it going in the second half, Collison means dominating the Suns backcourt. The 28-year-old dropped in 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting after the break and chipped in five assists. In a blowout win, his +25 in the plus/minus category led the team.
“D.C. is the star of the game in my mind,” Karl said following the game. “D.C. came in and just gave us (what we needed); he had much better intensity and energy leadership. Might be the best we’ve got all year. We’ve probably had some good games like that, as a team but not as one individual just taking the game on and saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to win this damn thing.’”
The Kings needed a win in a bad way. It was a group effort, including a game-high 32 from Cousins, but Collison’s impact on the game was tremendous. The Kings need more nights like this from their super-sub as they head out on the road.
