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Kings Boogie Past Lakers

The Kings got back to their winning ways on Sunday afternoon inside Sleep Train Arena.

Relying heavily on its starters, Sacramento snapped a five-game skid with a seven-point victory over Pacific-Division rival L.A. thanks to a big second half.

The Kings outscored the Lakers, 56-41, after halftime and overcame their largest deficit of the season en route to the win.

DeMarcus Cousins tallied a game-high 29 points and 14 rebounds, Rudy Gay chipped in 24 points and six assists, Ben McLemore added a season-high 23 points to go along with eight boards, while Darren Collison scored 16.

Showcasing their explosiveness, the Kings registered 23 fastbreak points compared to just nine for the Lakers. The home team’s defense was also strong limiting Kobe Bryant to just 26-percent from the field (25 points), while Nick Young contributed 26 points off the bench.

From the start, the Kings went to Cousins early and often.

In the opening period, Boogie paced an 8-0 run for the home team with six points. His presence in the paint often drew three or four L.A. defenders. One such defensive rotation cost the Lakers three points as DMC found Gay, who swung a pass to a wide-open Collison for a triple.

The Lakers used a 9-2 spurt to narrow the gap, but Sacramento still held a 26-23 lead after the first quarter.

After L.A. claimed its first lead of the game, 30-29, the Kings turned to their young shooting guard for a spark.

Epitomizing his resurgent sophomore season, McLemore showcased his abilities on both ends of the court.

A pair of transition layups from the former Jayhawk helped the Kings force a tie at 41-all, before L.A. closed the half on a 19-11 run. DMC had a game-high 15 points at the break, but Sacramento trailed, 60-52.

Early in the third, Nos. 15 and 8 combined for a quick eight points, but the Lakers used an 8-0 run to expand their lead to a game-high 13, 79-66.

The Kings responded with a timely 15-0 burst.

After Collison tallied five straight points, McLemore drained a long two. Carl Landry and Cousins each found the bottom of the net to stretch the run to 11-0, before Gay added a bucket of his own to tie the game at 79-all.

Then B-Mac took to the air.

Thanks to an outlet pass from Landry, No. 23 took flight and slammed home a monster jam to give his team a two-point advantage.

The visitors reclaimed the lead in the fourth period, but it didn’t last long. Sacramento outscored L.A., 27-21, down the stretch as Rudy tallied nine points and DMC scored eight.

The purple and black closed the game on another great run, 15-1, and held the Lakers to 27-percent from the field in the fourth. The 108-101 victory improves the Kings to 12-15 this season.

Welcome Back Boogie

Since returning to the floor on Thursday, DMC is averaging 28 ppg and 12.5 rpg, while shooting 54-percent from the floor.

In his second game since recovering from viral meningitis, Cousins displayed his All-Star caliber repertoire from the get-go on Sunday.

After a stellar 15-point first half, Cousins continued to dominate in the fourth as he scored eight points in nine minutes.

In the end, the 29-point, 14-board performance was Cousins’ 14th double-double of the season, which ranks seventh in the NBA.

Rudy Ignites the Crowd

Early in the third period, the Great Rudini drove to the hoop and slammed home a powerful dunk over Wesley Johnson and Jordan Hill.

By games-end, Gay again showed why he’s deserving of All-Star consideration as he registered 24 points, a team-high six assists, three boards and two blocks.

Twenty-Three for No. 23

Going up against one of the best shooting guards to ever play the game, Ben McLemore held his own.

Whether he was attacking the defense in transition, rising for fadeaway jumpers from the baseline, or taking flight, B-Mac posted one of his top all-around performances of the season.

Guarding Bryant for much of the game, McLemore played a key role in limiting the perennial All-Star to 26-percent from the field, while racking up a season-high 23 points (55 FG%), eight rebounds and one steal.

Divac Returns

After standing beside former teammate and friend Peja Stojakovic as the former Kings sharpshooter had his jersey raised to the rafters on Tuesday, Vlade Divac returned Sunday joining Kings owner Vivek Ranadive courtside.

Like Kings fans, Divac comes away more impressed each time he sees Cousins take the court.

“He gets better every time I see him,” said Vlade during the matinee. “The sky is the limit.”

Slamson Santa Dunk

In the true spirit of the holiday season, Slamson led a fastbreak and threw a pass off the backboard to a trailing Santa Claus for an epic throw down.