Kings Beat the Short-Handed Celtics 105-98
By: Morgan Ragan
The Sacramento Kings took advantage of the short-handed Boston Celtics in a 105-98 victory Saturday night at Sleep Train Arena.
Kings center DeMarcus Cousins's played for the first time since injuring his hip before the All-Star weekend. He went 4 for 8 finishing with 13 points and seven boards.
"I was all out of rhythm honestly, my hip started bothering me a lot," Cousins said following the win.
Cousins got a technical in the first half after getting into it with Celtics big man Kris Humphries. Cousins now has 13 technicals for the season.
It was a chippy game between both teams. Boston's Gerald Wallace and head coach Brad Stevens were ejected with 35 seconds left to play and Cousins frustrations towards Humphries were noticeable the entire game.
Despite Cousins's obvious shoves and body language towards Humphries, head coach Michael Malone kept him in for 34 minutes.
"Part of these last 28 games is seeing if we can trust guys and letting him play in that situation. I have to start showing that I trust guys dealing with different situations," Malone said.
Sacramento announced Saturday afternoon that Jason Terry will spend the remainder of the season in Dallas rehabilitating his knee. Reggie Evans was active for the Kings but did not play .
Rudy Gay scored 22 points for Sacramento and Isaiah Thomas added 21. Thomas tied his career high assists with 12 assists.
Analysis:
Postgame Cousins talked about how he was all out of rhythm, and it was obvious. Not only did he turn the ball over six times, he allowed Kris Humphries to take him out of his game mentally.
Although Cousins is coming off a hip injury, he allowed Humphries to get in his head from the start and became a distraction on the court rather than an asset.
This season Cousins has brought his talent to the next level, he has also made improvements to his mental game. Saturday night against the Celtics he took a step back.
You can hear Morgan with Deuce & J-Ross from 12-3 p.m. on KHTK. Follow her on Twitter: @momoragan
