Sacramento Kings lord it over the Raptors
LORI EWING TORONTO • DeMarcus Cousins poured in 31 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to lift the Sacramento Kings to a 105-96 victory over the Raptors on Friday, handing Toronto its first loss at home in six games.
Kyle Lowry scored 24 points to top the Raptors (12-21), who’ve lost just twice in 10 games.
Alan Anderson added 20 points, DeMar DeRozan finished with 14, Jose Calderon had 13 points and just three assists, and Ed Davis had 11 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
John Salmons added 20 points for the Kings, who won for just the third time on the road this season.
The game was a sloppy affair for a Toronto team that was coming off one of its most solid performances this season just two nights earlier in a 102-79 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
For all the positive vibe around a team that had been digging out of its early-season hole with hustle and teamwork, the Raptors seemed to be able to do little right Friday. They had no answer for Cousins, who hammered the home team inside all night long with the Kings outscoring Toronto 52-32 in the paint.
And while the Raptors have been on a hot streak, the Kings have as well, winning six of their last nine games.
Toronto had an eight-point lead in the second quarter, but the wheels fell off in a third quarter that saw the Raptors outscored 2810. They trailed 82-63 heading into the fourth in front of a disgruntled Air Canada Centre crowd that had developed a taste for winning.
NOTES: Sacramento took the first meeting between the two teams 107-100 on Dec. 5 ... The Raptors host Oklahoma City on Sunday ... The Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista and Adam Lind chucked autographed balls up into the crowd during a timeout.