ATLANTA — Foul trouble was the storyline of the game for Sacramento as Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins sat most of the second and third quarter. The Kings kicked off their five game road trip tonight against the Atlanta Hawks losing 106-95, bringing their record to (2-2) on the season.
Cousins started off to a slow start only scoring six points in the first half and finished the game quite below his average with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Cousins was tested at times against newly acquired Dwight Howard as they both were aggressive offensively and defensively. By the looks of Cousins demeanor he looked like he was on his way to pick up multiple technical fouls. With the help of Matt Barnes and Anthony Tolliver, Cousins was able to cool down and spare the technical foul or potential ejection.
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Sacramento went 30 percent from the field in the first quarter shooting just 6-of-20 for 15 points, while tallying six turnovers. Gay led all scorers in the first with nine points, while finishing the game with a game high 22.
Despite a woeful first quarter, Ty Lawson was able to keep Sacramento afloat by scoring or assisting on six straight points cutting the Hawks lead to only five halfway through the second quarter. With Gay on the bench for the majority of the second, Ben McLemore was able help Lawson in the charge by scoring 10 of his 12 points before the half.
With the first half behind them, Sacramento went on an 11-4 run to start the third quarter. Gay led the Kings out of the second half with an emphatic poster dunk and one over Atlanta’s Paul Millsap. But shortly after the run Gay picked up his fifth foul with 5:49 left in the third.
Dave Joerger turned to his bench in the later part of the third when his starters had to be preserved for the fourth quarter. Joerger went small with Garrett Temple, Willie Cauley-Stein, McLemore, Barnes and Tolliver to finish the third.
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Barnes was able to single handily bring Sacramento back in the third with back-to-back threes and two assists from three from McLemore and Tolliver. Along with the scoring, Barnes led the defensive charge winning the quarter 37-26.
Sacramento held a 81-79 lead heading into the fourth quarter and it was rapidly diminished by red hot shooting from Atlanta. They went on an 11-2 run to start the quarter.
Immediately after the huge run to start the fourth, Gay and Cousins were put back in the game to stop the bleeding. Following their entrance to the game, Atlanta went on an 8-0 run sealing the game down the stretch.
Too Many Fouls
Sacramento was tagged for 34 fouls on the night for 47 free throws while Howard attempted 20 of the 47 for the Hawks. The Kings just shot 19 free throws compared to Atlanta’s 47. Six Atlanta players scored in double figures tonight against the Kings shooting 42 percent.
The defense of Sacramento looked stagnant and lost at times, as fouls had to be taken to prevent easy baskets. Looking good in their previous three games defensively, Joerger will have to rally up his troops with the correct defensive mindset before heading to Miami to face the Heat on Tuesday night.
Game time 4:30 PM EST at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami.
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