DENVER (AP) DeMarcus Cousins scored 31 points, Darren Collison had 26 points and seven assists, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Denver Nuggets 120-113 on Tuesday night.
Sacramento led most of the way to stop a two-game skid and win for the fifth time in seven games.
The Kings used a 15-0 run in the second quarter to take a 50-36 lead. Denver went nearly seven minutes without a field goal and missed 10 shots before Jusuf Nurkic hit a layup with 2:46 left before halftime.
Denver got within three in the fourth quarter and had chances to trim it to one or tie, but Sacramento kept extending the lead with Cousins on the bench.
The lead was five when he returned, and he helped the Kings push it to 11 with 2:22 left with assists on a 3-pointer by Arron Afflalo and a layup by Garrett Temple.
Danilo Gallinari led Denver with 24 points and Nikola Jokic had 18. He and fellow big man Nurkic, who scored 16 off the bench, had trouble containing Cousins all night.
Nuggets lose to Kings at home.