SACRAMENTO -- You can’t look away. Regardless of who they are playing or how far down the Sacramento Kings fall behind, the game is never over.
The Atlanta Hawks learned that lesson the hard way Saturday night at Golden 1 Center. Sacramento looked like they were sleep walking early in the game, trailing by as many as 19 in the first half. The Hawks pushed their lead to 22 in the third quarter, but the Kings never stopped playing.
It took a franchise record 18 made 3-pointers and a little bit of luck down the stretch, but the Kings found a way to win their second straight in dramatic fashion, beating Atlanta by a final of 108-107.
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SIGN UP HERE “It would be great to not be in a big deficit,” coach Dave Joerger said. “It’s surprising. I’m partially surprised, but yet I’m not surprised with this group because they won’t lay down. They’ll just keep coming.”
Perhaps no player struggled more than All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins early in this game. Cousins finished the half with as many turnovers as he had points. Cousins looked out of rhythm after missing the previous game due to league suspension.
“I’m dealing with my own demons right now,” Cousins said. “I’ve got to focus on what’s going on at the moment. I did a terrible job of that in the first half and some of the second as well.”
Cousins is the fastest player to reach 16 technical fouls since the NBA instituted their suspension rule. He knows that he has to be on his best behavior. He draws another fine, lost game check and suspension every second technical he receives from here on out this season. Learning to balance playing with passion and not going over the top and drawing a tech isn’t as easy as flipping a switch for the 26-year-old big.
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“I don’t know how to be myself anymore, that’s something I’ll have to figure out,” Cousins said. “Hopefully it’s for the better.”
With his teammates battling to keep the Kings in the game, Cousins woke from his slumber in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the final period. His 25-foot bank shot with 4:42 remaining in the fourth tied the game for the first time. His triple at the 2:09 mark drew the Kings back to within one after they had fallen behind once again.
Cousins posted big numbers, but he wasn’t the star in this game. Ben McLemore kept the Kings from getting blown out early. The fourth-year guard is blossoming for coach Joerger after getting another shot in the rotation.
McLemore hit a career-best six 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 22 points. The athletic wing also tied his career-high in both rebounds with nine and steals with four.
“I’ve been working my butt off since I got in the league and I will continue to do that,” McLemore said. “As soon as my number got called, I was prepared and ready to face the challenge and go out there mentally tough and ready.”
With Garrett Temple sidelined until after the All-Star break, McLemore has started four of the last five games and is averaging 13.8 points over that stretch on 13-for-27 (48.1 percent) shooting from long range.
In addition to Cousins and McLemore, Darren Collison was clutch for Sacramento. Ty Lawson couldn’t go after straining his left adductor muscle in the win over Boston, leaving Collison as the only point guard on the roster.
The veteran point guard took Dennis Schroder off the dribble with 3.5 seconds remaining to give the Kings the lead. His basket proved to be the game-winner as Sacramento got the defensive stop on the other end.
“It feels good to be on top this time around,” Collison said. “We’ve been playing so hard, but the biggest thing with us is just not digging ourselves a hole.”
In 44 minutes of action, Collison matched Cousins and McLemore with 22 points. He added four assists and two steals while turning the ball over just twice in the win.
Anthony Tolliver chipped in 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc as the Kings won their second straight and third game in four chances.
Sacramento finishes their six-game homestand on Sunday with the New Orleans Pelicans. They currently sit at 3-2 through five games, including big wins over Eastern Conference playoffs teams in Cleveland, Boston and Atlanta.