76ers Overcame 18-Point Deficit To Beat Kings
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Robert Covington scored 24 points and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame an 18-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 114-107 on Friday night.
Nerlens Noel added 16 points and 12 rebounds to help Philadelphia win for the second time in its last seven games. They are 15-50.
DeMarcus Cousins matched his season high of 39 points and added a career-high 24 rebounds for Sacramento. The Kings dropped to 22-42, guaranteeing their ninth straight losing season. Rudy Gay had 24 points for Sacramento.
The Kings led 73-55 with 8:46 left in the third quarter, but managed just two field goals the rest of the period, fueling a 33-9 flurry by the Sixers.
Philadelphia's reserves accounted for the last 15 points in that stretch, giving the 76ers an 88-82 lead at the end of the period.
Backup point guard Ish Smith was particularly effective, scoring five points in the last 3:09 of the period and setting up Hollis Thompson for a 3-pointer and Henry Sims for a layup.
The Sixers then scored eight of the first 10 points in the fourth quarter as well, giving them a 96-84 lead with 8:41 left. Sacramento cut the gap to 106-103. Then Smith found Noel for a dunk and made a pair of free throws. Smith finished with 10 points and nine assists in 25 minutes.
Cousins had 22 and 15 rebounds in the first half, when the Kings erased an early nine-point deficit to claim a 64-51 halftime lead. Covington had 19 points in the first half for the Sixers.
TIP-INS
Kings: This was Sacramento's first of two meetings with Philadelphia this season. The two teams square off again on March 24 in Sacramento. ... It was also the next-to-last game of an eight-game trip for the Kings. Coach George Karl, hired on Feb. 17, said before the game that the trip did not come at the best time for his team, because the Kings were just settling into a rhythm before hitting the road. ..., Darren Collison missed his 16th straight game with a core muscle injury. ... Ryan Hollins did not play because of back spasms.
Sixers: Guard Jason Richardson, who returned earlier this season after missing two years with knee and foot injuries, rested on the front end of a back-to-back. He is expected to play Saturday night against Brooklyn. ... Isaiah Canaan returned to the starting lineup at point guard, after coming off the bench in Wednesday's loss to Chicago because of illness. ... Sixers assistant Chad Iske served in a similar capacity to George Karl in Denver, and Kings assistant Vance Walberg began this season with the Sixers before taking a job in Sacramento shortly after Karl was hired. The two of them had also worked together with the Nuggets.
UP NEXT
Kings: At Washington on Saturday night.
76ers: Host Brooklyn on Sunday night.
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