(The Sports Xchange) – Forward DeMarcus Cousins had 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as the Sacramento Kings ended the Los Angeles Clippers’ 10-game winning streak with a 110-103 victory on Saturday night at Staples Center.
“To come in their house and get a win like this is good for us,” said Cousins, who had 15 points in the first half.
Forward Rudy Gay had 18 points and seven rebounds and forward Omri Casspi and guard Darren Collison came off the bench to add 17 points apiece for the Kings (17-23), who snapped a five-game skid against Los Angeles.
Guards Ben McLemore and Rajon Rondo had 15 and 13 points, respectively. Rondo also had 10 assists and seven rebounds.
The Clippers, who were again without center DeAndre Jordan (pneumonia) and forward Blake Griffin (partially torn left quad tendon), hadn’t lost since falling 100-99 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 21.
“We felt we had an advantage going into the game, especially with their bigs out, so we wanted to take advantage of it and get the ball into the paint,” Rondo said.
“(Cousins) was able to find guys on the perimeter. He did a great job of passing the ball. We passed the ball great as a team, and we got the win.”
Guard J.J. Redick scored 22 points, hitting five three-pointers, to lead the Clippers (26-14). Center Cole Aldrich finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds and guard Jamal Crawford had 20 points.
Point guard Chris Paul, who was in foul trouble throughout the night, chipped in 15 points and seven assists.
“We don’t want to take anything away from them, they played great,” said Paul, who managed just four-of-11 shooting from the floor but hit three of five three-pointers in 27 minutes.
“They made shots, they moved the ball well. We knew coming in to this game that they were a high-scoring team and we never slowed them down.”
The Kings used a 13-0 surge to rally from a six-point deficit for a 54-47 advantage after a three-point play by Collison with 3:13 left in the second quarter. Sacramento led 64-60 at the break.
“It’s a quality win for us,” Rondo said. “It’s a roller-coaster season for us, but for us to put two games together in a row, get some rest the next couple of days and hopefully do the same thing (Wednesday) against the Lakers.”
