Sacramento is a perfect 2-0 at home this preseason.
The Kings raced past Maccabi Haifa at home on Saturday night, 91-59.
DeMarcus Cousins paced the offense with 15 points, while Darren Collison (12), Ramon Sessions (11), Nik Stauskas (10) and Derrick Williams (12) also finished in double-figures.
Grueling travel schedules caught up with both teams early in the game as the squads combined for five turnovers in the first five minutes. Maccabi Haifa used that time to take an 8-4 lead, but the Kings quickly overcame the deficit.
A timeout at the 6:39-mark in the first quarter ignited the home team.
On the inbounds, Darren Collison found Ben McLemore for a wide-open three to kick-start a 12-0 Sacramento run. Sessions, Omri Casspi and Stauskas all found the bottom of the net during the spurt as the Kings took control of the game.
Despite committing eight turnovers in the first quarter, the Kings connected on 50-percent from the floor (8-for-16) en route to an early 22-12 lead over the Greens.
Maccabi Haifa battled back in the second period pulling within four with 3:47 left before halftime. But thanks to four points apiece from Cousins, Collison and Williams, the Kings held onto their double-digit lead.
Leading 39-28 at intermission, the purple and black hit their stride in the second half outscoring the Greens, 52-31. Collison led the way scoring eight points in 10-plus minutes of work in the third quarter.
Sacramento’s defense also shined in the second half holding Maccabi Haifa to 23-percent from the floor. Kings reserves entered in the fourth quarter and kept up the dominant performance propelling the home team to its second exhibition win at Sleep Train Arena this month.
Highlights
Boogie is Back
After missing the NBA Global Games Finale, Cousins returned to action on Saturday night scoring 15 points and cleaning the glass 12 times. DMC’s plus-minus rating was a positive 14 as the fifth-year pro totaled 26-minutes. No. 15 joined teammate Reggie Evans in double-digit rebounds as he fell one shy of Evans’ team-high 13 boards.
Rudy Sits Out
Kings small forward Rudy Gay (sore left ankle) sat out the game against Maccabi Haifa and is listed as day-to-day.
DC, Mach-7
Collison kicked it into another gear on Saturday, oftentimes cruising past the Greens all the way to the hoop. The sixth-year pro totaled 8-of-12 points in the third period connecting on both of his field goal attempts and all four of his freebies
Reserves Step Up
Playing without one of their stars, the Kings turned to backup small forwards Omri Casspi and Derrick Williams to fill the void. Both delivered as they combined for 19 points and seven rebounds. Casspi earned the start and tallied seven points and five boards in the first half, while Williams took over after intermission adding 6-of-12 points in the third period alone.
Sim Scores
Sim Bhullar scored his first preseason points of his NBA career in the closing seconds of Saturday’s victory. Ray McCallum found the 7-foot-5 center on the block, before Bhullar pivoted and connected on a finger roll. After time expired, No. 32’s teammates stormed the court, hugging and congratulating him.
Next Up
Sacramento travels to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Monday at 5:30 p.m. Tune-in to the action on KHTK Sports 1140 AM on the radio.