Los Angeles: DeMarcus Cousins had 34 points and 17 rebounds, Rudy Gay added 25 points, and the Sacramento Kings handed the poor shooting Los Angeles Clippers their first loss 98-92 on Sunday.
The Kings (2-1) rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter and outscored the Clippers 28-18 in the fourth. They took the lead for good on a layup by Gay with just under six minutes to play.
Blake Griffin and Spencer Hawes both scored 17 points to lead five Clippers in double figures. Chris Paul had 16 points and 11 assists, J.J. Redick had 12 point and Jordan Farmar 10.
The Clippers (2-1) struggled offensively for the third straight game, shooting 33 of 88. They were 9 of 31 from 3-point range, with Matt Barnes, Paul and Redick combining to miss a slew in the fourth.
Even new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer couldn’t exhort his team to victory, his fists clenched, his face red and his lips forming the words, “Let’s go!” from his baseline seat.
Sacramento’s Darren Collison scored 14 points in his first game against his former team.
The Clippers led by two early in the fourth, when their second unit got things going. But the starters returned and couldn’t make a difference.
Cousins scored the Kings’ first eight points of the game, and he had 11 points in the third when they cut a 10-point deficit to four heading into the fourth.
Sacramento’s Ben McLemore received a flagrant-1 for pulling Griffin down from behind midway through the first. Griffin was on a breakaway when McLemore yanked on his jersey, sending Griffin to the court, where he landed at McLemore’s feet near the basket support. Cousins was trailing on the play, and the referees quickly moved in to separate the players.
