Raptors-Kings Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Dec 04 2012 5:46PM

The Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors have scuffled in recent years as two of the NBA's worst teams. This season looks no different.

Both will look for improved defense as they try to snap slumps Wednesday night, with the Kings hoping to avoid a fourth straight loss while handing the Raptors an eighth in a row on the road.

The clubs are in last place in their respective divisions after going a combined 55-87 last season. Neither team has finished with a winning record in any of the past five seasons.

Both currently rank toward the bottom of the league in points allowed, with Toronto giving up 101.9 per game and Sacramento 100.5.

The Kings (4-12) are fresh off allowing their highest point total of the season in a 116-81 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. In suffering the most lopsided defeat in series history between the Pacific Division foes, Sacramento forced just five turnovers and let Los Angeles shoot 54.7 percent.

"It was very frustrating," said Jason Thompson, who had 16 points and 12 rebounds. "They were pretty much getting anything they wanted on the offensive end, and we obviously didn't make it better by not scoring in the beginning. We got ourselves into a hole that we couldn't get out of."

Even as they've struggled, the Kings have usually boasted a potent offense, averaging 99.4 points over the last three seasons. But Sacramento is scoring 93.6 per game this season - its lowest mark since 1997-98.

The Kings' 34 first-half points Saturday were a season low.

"We didn't really come out with any energy," said DeMarcus Cousins, held to eight points and six boards. "And it showed."

The Raptors (4-14) also suffered from a slow start in their last game, falling behind 61-44 in the first half Monday at Denver. They cut the deficit to one with 2:18 left but could not take the lead, losing 113-110 after DeMar DeRozan missed a 3-pointer as time expired.

"We made a commitment in the second half to play defense the whole time," said point guard Kyle Lowry, who scored 12 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter.

"We have to play like we did in the second half in the first 24."

That was the opener of a five-game trip for Toronto, which is 1-10 in road games. The current seven-game slide away from home is the Raptors' longest since dropping their final eight road games of the 2010-11 season.

They're 2-13 all-time in Sacramento, allowing an average of 105.5 points.

The Kings' offense could be tougher for the Raptors to slow down if Tyreke Evans returns. He practiced Monday after sitting out two games with a bruised left knee, and coach Keith Smart told the team's official website he expects Evans to play. He's averaging 20.5 points in four career games against the Raptors, including 29 in a 98-91 win at Toronto on Jan. 11 in the teams' only meeting last season.

Cousins posted 21 points and 19 rebounds in that game, but he has only one double-double in his past nine games after ranking sixth in league last season with 36.

Cousins has 25 and 13, Kings beat Raptors 107-100

Posted Dec 06 2012 2:10AM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Tyreke Evans has been a solid scorer throughout his four-year NBA career. Still, the one thing he's always lacked is a consistent outside shot.

Evans made two consecutive 3-pointers late in the game and teammate DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 13 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings beat the struggling Toronto Raptors 107-100 on Wednesday night.

The Kings used strong fourth-quarter play from Cousins and Evans to earn a rare victory. Sacramento had dropped nine of its previous 11 games, including an embarrassing 35-point loss Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Evans, back in the starting lineup after missing the past two games with a bruised left knee, scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. The point total wasn't a surprise, but hitting back-to-back 3s was unexpected. Evans entered the season as a 25 percent career shooter from 3-point territory and had made six of 22 attempts this season.

With the game tied at 95, Evans put the Kings on top for good with a 3-pointer, then connected on another one from the same spot 30 seconds later, giving Sacramento 101-95 lead with 1:43 remaining. Both times Evans stared at the Toronto bench defiantly after sinking his shot.

"I'm happy for him, especially on his outside shooting," said Cousins, who scored seven points in the final 5:28. "If Tyreke gets confidence in that shot he's going to be an incredible player."

Kyle Lowry had a huge second half, scoring 29 points. He pulled the Raptors within four on his fourth 3 of the game with 18 seconds left, but the Kings made free throws to secure the victory.

"Tyreke made two huge 3s and pretty much put the game away," Lowry said. "He's just coming off an injury, so I know he's not 100 percent. But those 3s showed how he is a big-time competitor. And Cousins is just a bull. He's very talented and everyone knows that."

It's been a rare occurrence this season when both Cousins and Evans are major offensive contributors.

But that was the case against the Raptors.

"That's very important. I think it starts with us two. DeMarcus in the post and me in the pick-and-rolls getting into the paint," Evans said. "That's one of the things I wanted to do tonight, drive the ball and get fouled."

Evans started slow, missing his first four shots in the first quarter. He had seven points at halftime but began connecting in the third and finished 7 of 16. He struggled a bit from the free throw line, shooting 7 of 12.

"I thought he was pressing in his first game back," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "But he settled down and he didn't force the issue."

Jason Thompson added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, while John Salmons scored 12 and Aaron Brooks 11.

Lowry had a season-high 34 points, two below his career best. He also added 11 assists and five rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost two straight and eight of nine.

Mickael Pietrus scored 21 points, DeMar DeRozan added 14 and Ed Davis chipped in 13 points and 11 rebounds.

"That's the ballgame right there: They had 56 points in the paint," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "They had their way with us in the paint. Everybody's going to look at Tyreke Evans. He hit two 3s and he hit six all season. We did the right thing trying to protect the paint."

After Lowry hit a 3 and followed with a shot from close range, Cousins responded with a three-point play and a jumper, tying the score at 91 with 4:31 to go. A left-handed shot off the glass by Cousins put the Kings ahead 95-93 with 2:36 left.

Pietrus made a pair of free throws early in the fourth quarter, concluding a 22-5 run that began midway through the third. But the Kings rallied quickly, taking an 85-84 lead on Jimmer Fredette's runner in the lane at the 8:09 mark.

"You can't explain in words how frustrating it is," DeRozan said. "We try to work as hard as we can, but the ball doesn't bounce our way, the ball doesn't go in when you need it to go in. It's everything you can think of."

Salmons made a pair of 3s early in the third and scored eight points as Sacramento built its lead to 73-60 midway through the period. Lowry helped bring the Raptors back, scoring 15 points in cutting the Kings' lead to 78-76 entering the fourth.

Cousins scored 14 points and Thompson had 11 in the first half, helping the Kings take a 55-47 lead.

Operating exclusively inside, the struggling Cousins got going early, scoring 12 points in the first quarter. Pietrus had 11 for Toronto, which was outscored 26-18 in the second.

NOTES: Pietrus has started two of the three games since he was signed by the Raptors as a free agent on Nov. 30. ... The Kings are 4-1 this season when they score 100 or more points. ... Former Raptor James Johnson came off the bench to start the second quarter and quickly made a 3-pointer, his first of the season after missing his first eight tries. He finished with six points, eight rebounds and five fouls in 14 minutes. ... Raptors reserve forward Linas Kleiza (sore left hip) missed his second straight game.

Notebook: Kings 107, Raptors 100

James Ham, For NBA.com
Posted Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:41 AM - Updated Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:41 AM

THE FACTS: In a tough fought game involving two teams with only four wins on the season, the Sacramento Kings gave their fans a rare 107-100 victory over the lowly Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night..

DeMarcus Cousins dominated the game for the Kings (5-12), finishing with team highs in both points with 25 and rebounds with 13. After missing his team's previous two games, Tyreke Evans looked sluggish in the first half, but recovered late to give the Kings 23 points.

Kyle Lowry was every bit as good as Cousins, leading the Raptors (4-15) with 34 points and 11 assists for the game. Mickael Pietrus turned back the clock tonight with 21 points and six rebounds in the loss.

QUOTABLE: "I'm trying to make my teammates better and I know I can't win games with them. So, if I'm going and I can get them going at the same time, it can help."

-- DeMarcus Cousins

THE STAT: The Kings used an aggressive inside attack to take an early lead. During the first half, they outscored the Raptors 36-12 in the paint on their way to an eight-point lead at intermission. Sacramento scored 56 points in the paint on 28-for-51 shooting.

TURNING POINT: With less than two minutes remaining and the game tied at 95-95, Evans buried back-to-back 3-pointers pointers to give the Kings a six-point lead. That proved to be the difference in this one.

QUOTABLE II: "They were just talking over there, you know. They said, "Leave him open" and I said, "Leave me open and I'm going to keep shooting it," and I just made the shots."

-- Tyreke Evans on the Raptors bench talking trash before he buried his two fourth quarter 3-pointers

HOT: The Kings frontcourt of Cousins and Jason Thompson came out hot in the first half and punished the Raptors down low. The duo combined for 25 points and 12 rebounds before the break, and held the Raptors' frontline to just 11 points and four boards.

HOT II: Lowry caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 15 of his game-high 34 points and dishing out five of his game-high 11 assists in the 12 minutes after the break.

NOT: Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas was a complete non-factor in this one. Not only did he finish with just three points and three rebounds in 16 minutes, but he also was the open door on a defense that Cousins kept walking through.

NOT II: After starting the previous two games due to an injury to Evans, Marcus Thornton moved back to the bench tonight for Sacramento. The veteran scoring guard finished with three points on 1-for-7 shooting in 17 minutes of action.

GOOD MOVE: The Kings coaching staff tightened their rotation down and gave the players a clear directive to go at the rim. The result was a solid 46-percent shooting night with 56 of their 107 points coming in the post.

BAD MOVE: Raptors coach Dwane Casey had very little choice in the matter, but any time he took Lowry off the court, the Kings pulled away. Lowry finished with 39 minutes, but the Raptors needed him for all 48 tonight.

NOTABLE: The Sacramento Kings improved to 4-1 on the season in games in which they score 100 points or more and they are 5-0 at home when taking a lead into the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT: For the Raptors, Friday @ Utah, Sunday @ Clippers, Monday @ Portland. For the Kings, Friday vs. Orlando, Saturday @ Portland, Monday @ Dallas.

• Raptors: Anderson, Fields
• Kings: Honeycutt

• Raptors: DeRozan
• Kings: --

• Lead Changes: 13
• Times Tied: 12

• Arena: Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, CA
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #27 Dick Bavetta, #7 Kevin Fehr
• Attendance: 12476
• Duration: 2:23