Kings snap game 3 losing streak with 114-106 win over Utah

DeMarcus Cousins had 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Rudy Gay also scored 23 points as the Sacramento Kings beat the Utah Jazz 114-106 on Tuesday night (Internet photo)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – DeMarcus Cousins had 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Rudy Gay also scored 23 points as the Sacramento Kings beat the Utah Jazz 114-106 on Tuesday night.

The Kings took a 12-point lead after one quarter and never trailed again in ending a three-game losing streak.

Omri Casspi scored 19 points and Rajon Rondo had 17 points and 13 assists for the Kings. It was the 13th time this season that Rondo had 10 or more assists. Sacramento shot 55.8 per cent.

Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward both had 18 points for Utah, which had beaten the Kings three straight and five of six times. Rodney Hood made five 3-pointers and had 17 points. Coming off a career-high 35 points against Indiana, Derrick Favours had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Jazz made 15 of 36 on 3-point tries, but shot 41 percent overall.

Utah opened the fourth quarter with two baskets, cutting the Sacramento lead 86-84.

Marco Belinelli followed with a 3-pointer, igniting a 7-0 run that put the Kings ahead by nine points.

A 3-pointer by Gay made it 102-90 midway through the fourth.

Casspi scored nine points in the third quarter, making all three shots, including a pair of 3s, to help the Kings take an 86-80 lead into the fourth.

TIP-INS

Jazz: Utah trailed 36-22 after shooting 36 per cent and committing five turnovers in the first quarter. The Jazz had a 29-16 rebounding edge in the first half. Raul Neto scored the game’ first basket, giving Utah its only lead of the game.

Kings: Gay came out of a timeout with his warmup jersey on and had to be told to take it off. . In an overall shooting slump the past three games since coming back from a lower back sprain, Cousins made a 3 in the third quarter after missing the previous 11 of the 12 attempts. Cousins missed both first-half free throws.

He made 3 of 9 in Sunday’s loss at Oklahoma City.