Sacramento’s 110-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night was a complete-team effort.
Point guard Darren Collison handled the early scoring duties as he tallied 11 of his game-high 21 points in the first 24 minutes. DeMarcus Cousins was sound once again on the offensive end as he chipped in 19 points and 5 rebounds. Rudy Gay was clutch in the second half totaling 12 of his 14 points after halftime.
Meanwhile, Carl Landry (14pts), Ramon Sessions (13pts), Reggie Evans (14rebs), and Ray McCallum (4pts) all provided a spark off Sacramento’s bench to help the team win its third consecutive game and second in a row on the road.
Following the offense’s lead, the defense put on a clinic holding Denver to 39-percent shooting on 93 total attempts, including 21-percent from beyond the arc while forcing 15 turnovers.
The Kings entered Monday night’s game as one of the top defenses in the League and as one of the best free throw shooting teams, ranking 4th in total free throw attempts this season.
The team continued that streak inside the Pepsi Center earning a total of 47 trips to the charity stripe. Sacramento made 40 freebies (85-percent), including an 11-for-13 clip from Collison and a perfect 10-for-10 clip from Sessions.
Each team was slow out of the gates as both shot under 35-percent from the field in the first half. DMC was the first player to put the Kings on the scoreboard as he displayed his strength and soft hands snagging a pass in traffic and finishing the layup despite being fouled. The 6-foot-11 center drained the free throw to tie the game early, 3-3.
Sacramento started 2-for-9 from the floor, but the Kings defense held the Nuggets to 1-of-11 in the first five minutes of action.
With less than three minutes left in the first qurter, Jason Thompson followed a missed shot and hammered home a two-handed dunk with aggression. However, the Nuggets would retake the lead shortly after.
Trailing 22-19 at the first quarter break, head coach Michael Malone inserted Landry who provided a quick four points in the first minute of the frame. Sessions added a pair of free throws and the Kings regained their lead, 25-23.
The teams went back and forth over the next minute as Nate Robinson tallied a pair of buckets - the second from long range - to push his team out in front by two before Derrick Williams snagged an offensive board and enthusiastically slammed it back through the net.
No. 13 was productive in the limited time he saw in the first half adding four rebounds and five points.
Collison and Cousins were the only two Kings in double-figures in the first half as they combined for 23 points. Meanwhile, the reserves tallied 22 as Sacramento held a 51-46 lead after the first half of play.
Shooting under 40-percent in the first stanza, both teams started to find their rhythm in the second half as the Kings connected on 5 of their first 9 shots of the third period and the Nuggets hit 50-percent of their attempts (7-for-14).
Collison found his sweet spot on the floor as he drained a trio of buckets to surpass the 15-point plateau midway through the third. He also found Ben McLemore on an alley-oop jam in transition.
The home team kept the game close with strong shooting. After hitting just 15 of 44 tries in the first half (34-percent), the Nuggets hit 40-percent of their 49 attempts after halftime. But thanks to the strong play of the Kings backcourt, Sacramento maintained its lead.
Sessions tallied 7 points in the second half and drained a crucial three in the fourth period. Meanwhile, Ray McCallum scored four points in the final frame - including a picturesque fast break layup - and provided solid defense.
Down the stretch, the Kings looked to their star small forward, who added a pair of buckets late in the game to keep the Kings out in front - the second of which was part of three-point play. Gay finished with 14 points - his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring outing.
Collison drained three of four free throw attempts in the final minute giving the purple and black their third-consecutive victory.
21 for No. 7
Exhibiting his multi-dimensional offensive abilities, Darren Collison scored at will against the Nuggets defense as well as found open teammates. No. 7 finished the game with 21 points, six assists, four rebounds, and had just two turnovers in nearly 30 minutes of action.
DC also started 7-for-7 from the free throw line, where the Kings have done a fair amount of damage this season. Collison has scored in double-figures in each of his four games as a member of the Kings averaging 16.2 points per contest and 6.5 assists per game.
DMC Does It Again
The Kings big man finished Monday night with the second-most points (19) of any player in the game trailing only Collison. Cousins connected on 46-percent of his shots against the Nuggets and 77-percent of his free throw attempts. No. 15 will look for another strong performance against Denver this Wednesday as the teams meet again, this time in Sacramento.
No. 8 is Clutch
Although he struggled to find his rhythm in the first period, Rudy Gay made his impact felt in other ways. He tallied three assists and snagged three boards for his team in 12 minutes of action in the opening stanza.
His offensive struggles faded quickly in the second half.
Gay found the net within the first 20 seconds of the third frame on a long jumper, ultimately scoring 12 of his 14 points after halftime. No. 8 earned six of those points from the free throw line where he is shooting 86-percent this year.
There’s No Corralling Carl
Providing a spark off the bench, Carl Landry entered the game at the start of the second period and hit three of his first five shots from the floor for six points. No. 24 showed his ability to score at the rim, twice converting tough buckets underneath the hoop. The seventh-year pro finished with 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Up Next
The Kings will head home for a rematch with the Nuggets Wednesday night at 6:30 P.M. (PST). Get Tickets