Kings coach Keith Smart would like it if the team wouldn't do things that make it easier to defend, such as standing and holding the ball.
The Kings promise they are working on that.
"Those are old ways we've got to get rid of," said Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. "It's easier said than done. When you've been in that mode two or three years, it's hard to get rid of."
When the Kings have fallen into that habit, they have been forced to take tough shots and have become turnover-prone.
Avoiding that was an emphasis before the Kings played the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night at Power Balance Pavilion.
In Sacramento's losses in the first two games to the Trail Blazers this season at Portland, that habit, coupled with physical play by Portland defensively, contributed to blowout losses by the Kings.
"We would like it to be we just snap our fingers and it's just done, but it's not going to happen overnight," Cousins said. "We're going to continue to get better. It's going to take time."
Full roster – For the first time since Smart's second game as head coach, he began a game with all his players available.
Marcus Thornton returned to the starting lineup Thursday after missing the previous four games because of an injury. Tests showed Thornton had a hematoma in his left thigh. The injury occurred Jan. 8, when he was accidentally kneed by Orlando Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard.
Thornton had not played since Jan. 21 at Memphis, a night after aggravating the injury in San Antonio.
Thornton played 13 minutes that night before leaving the game when his leg became too stiff to play on. Thornton has missed seven games total because of the injury.
Thornton was the Kings' leading scorer at 16.4 points per game before sitting out. Since then, he has been surpassed by Tyreke Evans (16.8 points per game entering Thursday).
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