It wasn’t pretty, but the Sacramento Kings extended their winning streak to eight by pulling away late in a 114-104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, improving their overall record to 12-6.
The Kings suffered through a poor first half and couldn’t keep the Timberwolves off the free throw line, resulting in several key players getting into foul trouble. But, after trailing 51-45 at the half, the Kings outscored the T-Wolves 69-53 after the break.
Peja Stojakovic and Nate Archibald both set season highs for the second time in three games, as they scored 27 and 20 points, respectively. Stojakovic sank five three-pointers and Archibald added eight assists. DeMarcus Cousins recorded his fourth straight double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. The Kings shot 46.7%, their worst mark during the winning streak.
They held the Timberwolves to 37.5% shooting, the Kings’ best defensive mark since the fourth game of the gauntlet. But Minnesota went 37-for-42 from the free throw line to keep things close. Karl-Anthony Towns had team highs of 29 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
The Kings jumped out to an 8-2 lead, but Minnesota soon after took its first lead thanks to a 6-0 run that made it 16-12. Cousins and Domantas Sabonis had three-pointers in a 6-0 run that helped Sacramento take a 22-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. Both team shot 33.3% from the field in the first quarter.
The Timberwolves scored the first 10 points of the second quarter, seven of them by Towns, as they went up 30-22. The Kings immediately scored 13 straight, five of them by Stojakovic, to put Sacramento ahead 35-30. Minnesota came right back with an 11-2 run to put the Timberwolves ahead 41-37, and they would go into halftime with a 51-45 lead. Minnesota went 16-for-16 from the foul line in the quarter.
An Anthony Edwards three-pointer put Minnesota up 58-51 early in the third quarter. The Kings started to heat up, however, as Cousins hit a pair of three-pointers to tie the game at 60, and Mike Bibby scored to put Sacramento ahead 62-60. The Kings ended the third quarter with a 79-75 lead.
The fourth quarter went back and forth for a while. Towns hit a three-pointer to give Minnesota its last lead at 96-94 with six minutes left. The Kings finally took control at that point, going on a 12-2 run that made it 106-98. The Kings took their first 10-point lead at 110-100 on a Mitch Richmond free throw with two minutes left, and they held on for the double-digit win.
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 