
SACRAMENTO -- With their All-Star big in street clothes, the Sacramento Kings came out strong in the first quarter Tuesday night. Through 12 minutes, the Kings held a 29-25 lead over the Memphis Grizzlies and looked like a team ready to defend their home floor.
But excitement was a short-lived as Sacramento fell apart in the second quarter and never made a serious run the rest of the evening. Memphis improved to 3-2 with the 103-89 victory, dropping Sacramento to 1-3 in the early season.
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34-year-old Zach Randolph abused the Kings frontline, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes. Courtney Lee added 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting and Mike Conley Jr. won the battle at the point guard position, finishing with 14 points and six assists.
Darren Collison was a bright spot for Sacramento off the bench. The veteran point guard scored 18 points on 3-for-4 shooting from downtown. Rudy Gay dropped in 19 points and Kosta Koufos chipped in 11 points and six rebounds starting for the injured DeMarcus Cousins.
[RELATED: Cousins sets goal for return from strained Achilles]
STANDOUT PERFORMER:
With Marc Gasol down with neck spasms, the Grizzlies turned to Randolph, the ageless wonder in the second half. Randolph torched the Kings in the paint and from the perimeter. The 14-year NBA vet led Memphis in both points and rebounds in the 14-point Grizzlies win.
NBA
TURNING POINT:
The Sacramento Kings went cold in the second quarter, hitting just 2-for-15 from the floor and 6-of-11 from the line. Memphis struggled as well, but still managed to outscore the home team 25-11 on their way to a 50-40 halftime lead.
INJURY UPDATE:
DeMarcus Cousins missed his first game of the season Tuesday night with a strained right Achilles tendon. During pregame he told CSNBayArea.com that he was targeting this weekend for his return to the court. Gasol sat out the second half with neck spasms.
WHAT'S NEXT:
This was the first of a home-and-away back-to-back for the Sacramento Kings. They travel to Phoenix following the loss to the Grizzlies to take on the Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena Wednesday evening. After a day of rest on Thursday, the team jumps back into a rare home-and-home back-to-back against the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors on Friday and Saturday night.