Rajon Rondo and the Sacramento Kings held on to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 111-109. The game ended a little to close for comfort. Maybe the team had to bring a little thrill since it was Friday the 13th.
The win came from an all-around effort, starting with Rondo who finished the game with his third triple-double in the past four games. All-Star DeMarcus Cousins finished one-point shy of his career high (40 points, 13 rebounds), and shooting guard Ben McLemore had his best game of the season finishing with 15 points and Marco Belinelli chipped in with 14 points.
The Nets were entering Sleep Train after finally receiving their first win of the season (1-7) against the Houston Rockets earlier this week. Brooklyn is a team that is looked at as a team in the lower echelon of the NBA.
In the beginning of the game, it looked as if Sacramento were taking a step backwards, and playing down to the level of its opponent. Wide-open shot, after wide-open shot, the Kings’ defense was almost non-existent during the first half.
However, the bright spot of the first half was their starting point. Rondo was all over the court and really showed the biggest thing he brings to this team, leadership. Rondo finished the game with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists.
“I kind of get caught up watching him (Rondo) play,” Cousins said about Rondo’s triple-double performance. “It’s just amazing being able to watch his effort on a nightly basis. But as far as his rebounding it kind of gets on my nerves. He’s stealing my boards, man. But man, he plays every spot on the floor.”
While Rondo did have an amazing game, the man they call “Boogie” had himself a phenomenal game as well. The 25-year-old had an incredible third quarter where he tallied 21 points in ten minutes. He, like his team, started off quiet slow shooting just 1-of-10 shooting.
“Caron talked to me (at halftime) told me to just stay aggressive your shots going to fall,” Cousins said. “So that’s what I did, and I liked the way that feels.”
The passion to win has never been in question when you talk about Cousins. When asked how he felt about his third quarter performance and if it was fun, Cousins responded in a way that only a player that wants to win would respond, “It’s fun to win.”
Sacramento’s bench brought in the energy, starting with McLemore who had been struggling mightily this season until tonight’s game. With the Kings missing its second leading scorer Rudy Gay (stomach flu), and sixth man Darren Collison (hamstring), the bench needed to fill the void.
The Sacramento Kings have now won two in a row, and the whirlwind that happened earlier this week has been put to sleep for the moment. The team now preps to face the third place team in the eastern conference, the Toronto Raptors.
We are hearing that the team is hopeful to have both Collison and Gay back for their next matchup.
Fun Fact:
The franchise record for the most triple-doubles in one season is held by Chris Webber with five during the 1999-2000 season. After tonight’s outing, the former NBA champion (Rondo) already has three on the season. I think it is easy to say that Webber’s record will be beat this season.
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