The Kings would get the night started without their All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins, as he served a one-game suspension for a forearm to the face of Atlanta’s Al Horford last night.
Both teams came in on a one-game losing streak, looking to get back on track. Sacramento would unfortunately come up short, missing their two star scorers down the stretch. Miami pulled away in the waning moments of the game to get the 116-109 victory.
With Cousins out, the Kings relied on Rudy Gay and the shooting guards to supply scoring, and they delivered in the first half.
Gay had 11 points and seven rebounds in the first half, while Ben McLemore and Marco Belinelli added seven and nine points respectively. McLemore had a beautiful tomahawk jam in the second quarter, and added three assists in the half.
Unfortunately, Miami’s shooting guard came to play as well, as South Beach was treated to a vintage Dwyane Wade performance in the first half.
Wade scored 13 points on 50 percent shooting, hitting tough floaters in the lane and had a steal for a dunk to cap off his solid half. Chris Bosh added 10 points and eight rebounds as the Heat led the Kings 56-46 at the half.
Gay got fouled driving to the basket in the third quarter and would not return to the game, leaving with a strained shoulder. He will be evaluated tonight and tomorrow before deciding on his playing status for Saturday’s game.
The Kings were able to chip away at the lead, to have a punchers chance down five with 15 seconds left, but the game was never in much jeopardy as Miami led throughout almost the entire game.
Wade’s great night continued in the second half, as he finished with 24 points, six assists and five rebounds. Bosh contributed a double-double, with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
But the surprise story came from Tyler Johnson off the bench. Coming into the game, he was averaging 7.9 points and finished with 19 points on 6 of 8 shooting tonight.
Rajon Rondo’s amazing play continued, as he finished one rebound away from a triple-double. The floor general had his most assists in a Kings jersey, as he ended the game with 18 assists with only three turnovers.
Rondo also added 14 points. The former All-Star has been able to elevate his teammates and evoke a pass-first mentality from the rest of the team.
The ball has been moving more fluidly, which is likely a major factor in the high number of turnovers. However, it is beneficial when it opens up other players for open shots.
Belinelli and McLemore continued to benefit from the extra passing, and passes from Rondo himself. Belinelli led the team in scoring with 23 points, and McLemore had his best game of the season, pouring in 17 points on 3 of 4 from 3-point land. His confidence is very high right now, which will only help the Kings moving forward.
Turnovers and foul shooting continued to plague the Kings all game. Miami scored 26 points off 18 Sacramento turnovers. The Kings shot 11 of 20 on free throws, with Omri Casspi missing all four of his.
Miami only had seven turnovers, and shot 25 of 33 on their free throw attempts. Sacramento will have to do a much better job drawing fouls and holding onto the ball if they’re going to bounce back on this east coast road trip. The Kings face the other Florida team on Saturday, taking on the Orlando Magic.
Cousins will be back in the fold, but the Kings might be without Gay again as his status is still uncertain.
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