Kings-Raptors Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Jan 03 2013 3:51PM

The Toronto Raptors are playing their best basketball of the season. There's no guarantee that will continue, even with one of the NBA's worst road teams in town.

Toronto goes for a fourth straight victory overall and sixth in a row at home when it faces the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

The Raptors (12-20) are still in last place in the Atlantic Division, but they've made vast improvement in the past three weeks, winning eight of nine.

Toronto has played 10 straight games without Andrea Bargnani, the last four without Jonas Valanciunas and the last two minus Linas Kleiza, but it's managed to keep on winning. Getting six 3-pointers and 26 points from Terrence Ross and 24 from DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors defeated Portland 102-79 on Wednesday.

It might have been Toronto's best offensive effort of 2012-13 as it opened a season-high six-game homestand by shooting 53.2 percent and recording a season-best 34 assists. Point guards Jose Calderon (13 assists) and Kyle Lowry (nine) did not score.

"We started playing the game the right way (after an 18-point loss at Portland on Dec. 10), sharing the basketball, putting more focus on the defensive end," coach Dwane Casey said. "We're a totally different team today, with our approach, than we were then."

Casey's team has held opponents to 90.4 points per game in the past nine contests, and it's outscored foes 109.7-88.0 during its three consecutive wins.

While a matchup with the Kings would seem to be a prime opportunity for the Raptors to keep rolling, Sacramento (12-20) took the first meeting 107-100 on Dec. 5. Every Kings starter scored in double figures as the club overcame 34 points and 11 assists from Lowry.

Though the Kings are 2-13 away from home, they're confident they can complete the season sweep after ending a seven-game road skid with a 97-94 victory over Cleveland on Wednesday. Sacramento, which played without Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton, has won five of eight.

"We're playing a lot better as a team right now," forward Jason Thompson told the league's official website after scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Evans will miss a 10th straight game and Thornton is questionable after sitting out the last two, but DeMarcus Cousins could be a bigger key to the Kings' success. The third-year center is averaging 16.5 points, 12.5 boards, 5.8 assists and 2.3 steals in four games since serving a two-game suspension for unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team.

"I want to keep out the negativity and not bring any more negativity to this team," said Cousins, who had 25 points and 13 boards against the Raptors last month. "I want people to be talking positive about Sacramento and what we're doing."

The Kings ended a seven-game skid at Toronto with a 98-91 victory Jan. 11 behind 21 points and 19 rebounds from Cousins.

Sacramento hasn't won two in a row away from home since a three-game run March 23-27, 2011.

Toronto is on its longest home winning streak since posting eight consecutive victories Jan. 17-Feb. 10, 2010.

Cousins scores 31, Kings beat Raptors 105-96

By IAN HARRISON
Posted Jan 04 2013 11:23PM

TORONTO (AP) Sacramento Kings coach Keith Smart called DeMarcus Cousins "the guy who makes it all work for us."

Friday night's performance was the perfect example of that.

Cousins scored a season-high 31 points and matched his career high with 20 rebounds, John Salmons scored eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Kings topped the Toronto Raptors 105-96.

"He had the right energy to start the game, he had the right mindset of not trying to score 50 but trying to let his teammates play," Smart said of Cousins. "He's in a good spot as a basketball player right now and he's only going to get better."

Salmons said Cousins is helping the Kings win by trusting his teammates and giving up the ball when he gets double-teamed.

"He's involved and he's understanding the game better," Salmons said. "He's understanding what it takes to win. He's trying to do to things for this team to move up in the standings and make a playoff push."

Jason Thompson scored 14 points and Isaiah Thomas had 11 as the Kings won their second straight road game. They'd gone 1-13 away from home before winning at Cleveland on Wednesday.

"It doesn't happen that often so we're going to enjoy this," Smart said.

This is Sacramento's longest road winning streak since a three-game run from March 23-27, 2011. The Kings have won six of eight overall following their second five-game losing streak of the season.

"We're playing some good team basketball," Cousins said. "It doesn't matter who's having a good night, let's feed them the rock. That's been our mindset and it's been working."

Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and Ed Davis had 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, who came in having won eight of nine and a season-best five straight at home.

"We did not have an answer for DeMarcus Cousins inside," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "We did not play with any zip. We were flat."

Alan Anderson scored 20 points, DeMar DeRozan had 14 and Jose Calderon added 13 for the Raptors, who also lost 107-100 at Sacramento on Dec. 5.

"It's definitely tough," DeRozan said. "Cousins is someone to reckon with in the post."

He sure is. The hulking center proved a problem for every defender Toronto tried against him, especially Amir Johnson, who fouled out without taking a single shot.

This was the third 20-rebound game of Cousins' career, but Smart said he expects plenty more.

"Twenty rebounds for him can be an every fifth game event," Smart said. "He's always going to be in the top area of rebounding because he does a great job of going after the basketball."

Cousins had 19 rebounds the last time the Kings visited the Raptors, snapping a seven-game slide north of the border with a 98-91 victory last Jan. 11.

"I hate coming through the airport but I enjoy coming to Toronto," Cousins said with a laugh.

The Raptors' fate was sealed in a dreadful third quarter that saw them make just three of 21 field goal attempts and commit six turnovers as Sacramento turned a one-point halftime lead into a 19-point advantage heading into the fourth.

"I don't know what happened to them, but I know we played a very good third quarter," Smart said.

The Raptors went 11 for 39 from the field in the second half after going 19 for 40 in the first.

Cousins had nine points, four rebounds and three assists in the first quarter as Sacramento led 23-22. Anderson scored seven points as Toronto replied with a 17-5 spurt to start the second, taking a 39-31 lead with 7:02 to play. But Sacramento closed the half on an 8-0 run to lead 54-53 at intermission.

The Kings surged ahead with a 12-0 run to open the second half as the Raptors fell apart. Toronto was outscored 28-10 overall as the Kings used 10 points from Cousins to take an 82-63 lead into the final quarter.

NOTES: Cousins' previous high this season was 29 points, set against Brooklyn on Nov. 18. ... The Kings are 12-1 this season when leading after three quarters. ... Toronto F Linas Kleiza (right knee) missed his third straight game. ... Sacramento G Marcus Thornton (left ankle) missed his third straight game. ... Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista and first baseman Adam Lind attended the game.

Notebook: Kings 105, Raptors 96

Duane Watson, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Jan 04, 2013 10:53 PM - Updated Fri Jan 04, 2013 10:53 PM

THE FACTS: The Sacramento Kings (13-20) won their second road game in a row for their third road win of the season, defeating the Toronto Raptors (12-21) 105-96 at the Air Canada Centre on Friday night. Sacramento has now won six of their last nine games, led by DeMarcus Cousins' season-high 31 points and tied a career-high 20 rebounds, single-handedly dominating the Raptors. John Salmons added 20 points, while Jason Thompson scored 14.

With just over three minutes left in first half, the Kings went on a 10-4 run to take a 54-53 lead into the break. They didn't let up in the third, starting on a 20-4 run, widening it to 82-63 at the end of the quarter and holding the Raptors to .143 shooting from the field throughout. The Raptors were outscored 28-10 in the third quarter and while they outscored the Kings in the fourth 33-23, the deficit was too great.

The Raptors were led by Kyle Lowry's 24 points off the bench, while Alan Anderson also added 20 points in a reserve role. As a team they shot only .380 percent from the field and saw their five-game home winning streak snapped at five.

QUOTABLE: "Things are coming together, we're playing some good team basketball. We've been preaching, let's try to make each other better every night. I just try to find my open teammates and try to be encouraging and that's been working for us."
-- Kings Center, Cousins

THE STAT: Largely behind Cousins, the Kings outscored the Raptors in the paint 52-32. Their interior defense was porous and exploited often.

TURNING POINT: The game was decided in the third quarter and the Kings made a point of taking the game out of the half. Sacramento started on a 20-4 run and didn't let up, holding the Raptors to 10 points in the quarter making the score 82-63.

QUOTABLE II: "We have a big guy who is now at a stage in his career, to where he is willing to move the ball and let his teammates play. He allowed John Salmons to have a big game. He allowed Jason Thompson to have a mismatched game and then we came back to him. That's how you do it."
-- Kings Coach Keith Smart on the play of Cousins and the Kings' success.

HOT: Cousins entered this game averaging 16.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.3 steals in four games since serving a two-game suspension for unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team. He added to that hot streak with 31 points, 20 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

NOT: Cousins was unstoppable in the third quarter and Toronto had no answers. He scored as many points as their entire team (10) and added 8 rebounds. They shot a putrid .143 percent from the field and sent the Kings to the free throw line nine times.

NOTABLE: The Kings have won two of the first three games on their four-game Eastern Conference road trip (Jan. 1-5). Sacramento has won three straight against Toronto and has swept the two-game season series with the Raptors for the fifth time (Last: 2003-04). Cousins has now recorded a double-double in five straight games (Dec. 28 - Jan. 4). The Raptors bench combined for 55 points and have now scored 49-plus points in six straight games.

UP NEXT: For the Raptors; Sunday vs. Oklahoma City, Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, Friday vs. Charlotte. For the Kings; Saturday @ Brooklyn, Monday @ Memphis. Thursday v. Dallas

• Kings: Evans
• Raptors: Bargnani, Valanciunas

• Kings: Cousins
• Raptors: Anderson

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
• Officials: #28 Zach Zarba, #16 David Guthrie, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 17824
• Duration: 2:24