The Sacramento Kings were without DeMarcus Cousins last night due to a suspension for exceeding the league’s technical count, but managed to pull away late to defeat the Celtics 108-92.
Ben McLemore filled in with 17 points on 58 percent shooting from the field making him the Reno Dodge Power Performer of the night.
As noted earlier, without Cousins due to the suspension, the Kings needed to play a perfect game and have multiple guys step up and that is exactly what happened. Joerger trusted McLemore, which helped stretch the floor and that helped the other guys make plays such as Darren Collison. McLemore created a lot of space out there and the Celtics defense couldn’t adjust. Speaking of plays, remember this:
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McLemore for his career is a 34 percent shooter from three as he relies more on slashing and getting to the basket. Last night, McLemore went 3-of-5 from downtown shooting 60 percent. When McLemore is shooting well from the outside, it gives guards Ty Lawson and Collison more opportunities in the paint and so forth.
“When we do that (playing hard) we get more energy to move the ball,” Lawson said after the victory.
McLemore also had great defensive possessions as well. We all know Isaiah Thomas has been hot as of late, but McLemore had great possessions in slowing him down.
McLemore’s aggression this game was great to watch. From the get go, his main focus was to get the ball through the net and provide that extra scoring, which the Kings needed.
The Kings return back Golden 1 Center Friday night to take on the Atlanta Hawks in a matchup that is begging for our attention, (Howard vs. Cousins).
With this victory, the Kings now move to 21-32 for the season and still remain the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
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