Kings Make it Three in a Row, Beat Raptors 107-101

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Finding any form of stability is a complete sigh of relief for not only the fans of Sacramento basketball but also the players. The Kings are now 4-5 at home and slowly building chemistry and an understanding for one another.

Tonight, the Kings put away the Toronto Raptors 107-101 behind monster games from the Three Amigos. Rajon Rondo had another 14 assists to go along with DeMarcus Cousins 36 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gay also effectively shot 10-16, scoring 27 points to cap the night.

The real highlight for fans had to be the four of six shooting from three-pointers by DeMarcus Cousins. Putting his season three-point average to an astounding .448 and ranking the 17th best three-point shooter in the league.

“I can shoot the ball,” noted Cousins. “I just need to stay poised and keep firing.”

George Karl had spoken often in the offseason about stretching the floor and making Cousins available to shoot the three. While the returns have been positive early, Karl looks to build off of the spacing and create more opportunities for the team by moving the ball more effectively and making better decisions. Mostly improving on the 23 assists while limiting the 19 turnovers.

A lot of this direction lays heavily on starting point guard, Rajon Rondo, who fell just short of a fourth consecutive triple-double by three points and three rebounds. Even closer to a quadruple double, if you count his seven turnovers. Yet, tonight Rondo notched his fifth-straight game recording double-digit assists, something that hasn’t happened since the ’85-’86 season.

Once again, Rondo played for 41 minutes as the depth at the point guard postion has really impacted his minutes. Backup point guard Darren Collison is aiming to return this Wednesday as the Kings face the Hawks and look to make it four wins in a row.

The Kings now find themselves with a 4-7 record. Just one and a half games out of the eighth seed and an even two games out of the fifth seed. While the early schedule has aided the Kings in their ability to recover quickly, this won’t be the case for much longer. If the Kings can continue to commit to the system and play with an equal level of intensity, this year will be different for Sacramento.

“We had an unbelievably difficult schedule. I actually thought that the Brooklyn game was incredibly important, the way we won that game and tonight’s momentum and the energy is to go on the road and hopefully have a very good road trip,” said George Karl after the game.

As for tonight, the Kings deserved their most impressive win as a young team. Playing together and staying together as they rallied back. Looking to build on this momentum, the Kings will be on the road playing the Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, and the Milwaukee Bucks before returning home. A strong chance to return their record to even and build off of for the rest of the year.