Kings Blog and Q&A

Once again, Isaiah Thomas was left to answer why his scoring totals were more impressive than his assist totals.

The Kings' starting point guard scored a game-high 29 points on a game-high 20 shots in the Kings 117-108 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Thomas also attempted a game-high 12 free throws.

Thomas also had a 25 point, zero-assist game against Philadelphia last month.

Thomas is averaging five assists in his last 10 games and 6.3 in the four games before playing the Mavs.

Is the criticism fair? Thomas averages 3.8 assists for the season, so it's not like this is John Stockton going rogue against the offense, is it?

"I think when you just grab a stat sheet you see one assist there," said Kings coach Keith Smart. "I think when you look and I'll see in the game (film) there were passes made. He threw a couple passes to a couple guys that didn't shoot the ball. The shots had to be made, things like that. He dropped off some passes to the bigs under the basket and they weren't finished."

Added Smart:

"He made some plays to people and just didn't get the payoff."

The Kings shot just 44.8 percent. And it's not as if Thomas is just a stat chaser. I know him well enough to know he's not solely about his points every night.

"I made probably four or five plays where guys didn't make the shots," Thomas said. "I'm not too worried about what the stat sheet says because that's just half of what the game consists of. I don't try to worry about all that, how I'm going to get 10 assists or 10 points this game, 30 points this game. I just try to make plays as I see what the defense gives me."

Smart wasn't panicking about Thomas' statistics. Smart pointed to Darren Collison, who had eight assists off the bench in part because his teammates made open shots.

"I think you've got a young, growing point guard, you're going to have some situations like that," Smart said. "His assist making will grow as knock-down shooters are open and making their shots.

"It's going to happen."

FINAL
Mavericks 117, Kings 108

Sacramento lost its third consecutive game by giving up 99 points over the final three quarters.

The Kings host Memphis on Sunday.

Isaiah Thomas scored a game-high 29 points for the Kings (27-49). Tyreke Evans had 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Jason Thompson had 16 points and 16 rebounds starting for DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins was benched by Keith Smart and hasn't said why.

Cousins played just nine minutes.

Shawn Marion led Dallas (37-39) with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Brandan Wright had 20 points off the bench. Darren Collison had 18 points and eight assists off the bench.

THIRD QUARTER
Mavs 92, Kings 81

Isaiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans both have 22 points, but the Kings continue to trail.

One key statistic is assists. The Mavs have 25 and the Kings have 15. Thomas has just one and Evans has four.

Benched starting center DeMarcus Cousins did not play in the third quarter.

Shawn Marion is up to 21 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki has 16 points.

After starting the game shooting 8 of 23, the Mavs are shooting 35 of 67.

HALFTIME
Mavericks 59, Kings 53

So much for that good defense from the Kings.

The Mavs scored 41 points in the second quarter to overcome an 11-point deficit in the second quarter.

The Mavs shot 15 of 23 in the quarter fueled by the bench. Vince Carter has seven points and six assists. Darren Collison has nine points and four assists. Brandon Wright chipped in eight points and four rebounds.

Meanwhile the Kings shot 9 or 25 with the defense suffering when the Kings went to the bench. The starters had no fouls in the first quarter. The bench picked up six of the seven fouls in the second quarter.

Isaiah Thomas leads the Kings with 15 points. Tyreke Evans has 11 points and Jason Thompson has nine points and 11 rebounds.

Dallas got back in the game with team ball and has 17 assists. The Kings have 11 assists.

FIRST QUARTER
Kings 27, Mavericks 18

With DeMarcus Cousins benched for reasons that have yet to be explained, the Kings are shooting 55 percent while holding Dallas to 34.8 percent shooting.

Jason Thompson started at center and Patrick Patterson made his third start as a King. Thompson has six points, seven rebounds and three assists. Isaiah Thomas leads all scorers with 10 points.

Shawn Marion has four points and four rebounds for Dallas, which needs to win to keep its slim playoff chances alive after losing in the closing seconds last night at Denver.

If anything, DeMarcus Cousins made his 8 minutes and 18 seconds in the second half of the Kings' 112-102 loss to the Houston Rockets.

Cousins picked up six fouls in the second half. He scored six points, had no rebounds, two steals, a turnover and one poignant message for his coach after his sixth foul.

After Cousins picked up his sixth foul, Cousins yelled "Now I'm out!" at coach Keith Smart.

Not that the Kings/arena/relocation ordeal couldn't become much dramatic, but here are a few other thoughts and observations after revisiting Wednesday's events in New York and reaching out to sources:

• Why did NBA Commissioner David Stern appear so exhausted? Well, he is. The league's longtime top-ranking executive, who retires on Feb. 1, 2014, has been intimately involved with Sacramento's attempts to build a new facility since 2006. Frankly, I think the league should devote an entire staff to dealing with arena issues that will continue to affect the NBA as long as franchises exist in 29 cities. Buildings get old. Owners go broke. It happen. Anyway, the last thing Stern wanted was a bruising battle between two terrific cities for one team. With Ron Burkle, Vivek Ranadive, Mark Mastrov and the Jacobs family strengthening Sacramento's attempt to keeps its only major professional sports franchise, this is like asking Stern and his owners to split the baby. Ouch.

• No one - ok, maybe Kevin Johnson - really entertained the notion that four major investors could be lured to the capital city in time to make a serious, deadly serious bid to buy the Kings and partner in a private/public partnership. While Stern, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver and the league's lawyers are aware of all the details, most of the owners are too busy tending their own franchises - particularly during playoff drives - to snoop into the business of the other teams. So, yes, don't be surprised if members of the finance/relocation committee were receptive to the power of persuasive, and the charisma of the KJ-led group that includes state Senate pro tem leader Darrell Steinberg.

FINAL
Rockets 112, Kings 102.

The Kings lost their second consecutive game as they shot 39.1 percent and were outrebounded 47-40.

Tyreke Evans led the Kings (27-48) with 22 points. DeMarcus Cousins had 20 points in 26 minutes before fouling out. All six of his fouls were in the second half.

Jason Thompson had 17 points and 15 rebounds while Marcus Thornton had 21 points off the bench.

Chandler Parsons scored a game-high 29 points for Houston (42-33). James Harden had 21 points and nine assists. Jeremy Lin had 15 points and 10 assists. Omer Asik added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

But a game-changer was reserve Terrence Jones, who had 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

THIRD QUARTER
Rockets 88, Kings 83

Tyreke Evans scored 16 points in the third quarter, but the Rockets have maintained the lead.

Evans now has 21 points for the game after playing the entire third quarter.

DeMarcus Cousins played only two minutes and picked up three fouls and did not return to the game. He has three fouls for the game and asked to stay in even though he picked up three quick fouls.

Without Cousins to worry about most of the quarter, Omer Asik asserted himself with 11 points in the quarter and now has 16 points.

Chandler Parson leads Houston with 21 points. James Harden has 19 points and eight assists. Jeremy Lin has 12 points and nine assists.

Jason Thompson has 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Kings.

HALFTIME
Rockets 59, Kings 55

The play of Houston's starting backcourt has been good enough to overcome a strong start form DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson.

Cousins has 14 points and six rebounds while Thompson has 11 points and eight rebounds. Thompson also has two blocked shots.

But the Rockets are shooting 50 percent and their perimeter players have played well.

James Harden has 15 points and six assists while Jeremy Lin has seven points and six assists. Small forward Chandler Parsons added 14 points to give the Rockets another weapon from the wing.

Meanwhile Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas have combined for nine points and two assists. Marcus Thornton has 13 points off the bench to help make up for the starters. Evans was limited by two early fouls.

FIRST QUARTER
Rockets 27, Kings 26

The Kings opened the game missing 12 of their first 17 shots, but managed to make five of their final seven to close the gap by the end of the first quarter.

The Kings used an 11-2 run to tie the game at 22 after falling behind by nine quickly. DeMarcus Cousins (eight points, four rebounds) and Jason Thompson (seven points, six rebounds) eventually got going after Rockets center

Omer Asik came out and altered several shots early. James Harden has nine points and three assists for the Rockets after missing the previous two games with a sore foot.

Here are some stories on the Sacramento Kings saga from the Seattle Times.

In a Manhattan hotel on Wednesday, the months-long battle over the fate of the Sacramento Kings will turn into a daylong debate. Read it here.

Chris Hansen and Seattle city officials remain in negotiations over possible improvements to KeyArena should the NBA approve a relocation of the Sacramento Kings to Seattle for the 2013-14 season. Read it here.

Blog: The scene at the St. Regis Hotel and more insight. Read the blog here.

DeMarcus Cousins has been upset when he's been left out of games in the fourth quarters.

So Cousins was asked if he was surprised Jason Thompson wasn't on the court with him on the court in the fourth even though he had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

"I can't make a call on that," Cousins said. "That's not my decision."

These Kings-Lakers encounters almost never disappoint. Saturday night was no different. In front of a sold out arena - and the place is always packed with people and with emotion when the Lakers visit - Kobe Bryant led his team to a much-needed 103-98 victory and passed Wilt Chamberlain on the league's all-time scoring list.

Oh. One more thing. While the team's future in Sacramento is uncertain because the Maloofs have reached agreement to sell majority interest to a group intent on relocating the team to Seattle, Kobe predicted he'll be back here next year. He also (fondly) recalled Game 7 of the Kings-Lakers conference finals classic in 2001-02.

"They're (Kings) not going nowhere," Bryant said, laughing, when surrounded by reporters late Saturday in the visitors locker room. "The cowbells are still (clanging) ... I predict we'll be back here next year. You guys have been saying the same thing for three years."

FINAL
Lakers 103, Kings 98

A foul that wasn't called late had the Kings angry as they fell to the Lakers.

DeMarcus Cousins attempted a 22-foot jumper after getting Dwight Howard to bite on a pump fake. Cousins leaned forward and Howard made contact but there was no foul call and Howard was credited with a blocked shot.

The ball ended up with Cousins again, who launched another three that was short and the Lakers sealed the game with two free throws from Kobe Bryant.

It was a tough way to end a game that the Kings led by 12 in the first half and by seven midway through the third quarter.

The Kings (27-47) had six players score in double figures, led by Tyreke Evans with 21 points. He also had nine rebounds and six assists. Cousins finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Dwight Howard led the Lakers (38-36) with 24 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots. Kobe Bryant had 19 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds. Pau Gasol had 12 points and 10 assists.

THIRD QUARTER
Lakers 82, Kings 75

Sacramento did its part in giving the Lakers every chance to take the lead. The Kings committed seven turnovers in the quarter as the Lakers closed the third quarter on a 17-3 run.

The Kings gave up 10 points off turnovers in the quarter.

The offense has slowed down as the Kings have fallen into trying to dribble out of trouble too much.

After making 15 field goals in the first quarter, the Kings have made 15 since.

All five starters have scored in double figures for the Kings led by Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans with 15 points.

Evans also has a six rebounds and a team-high six assists.

Kobe Bryant has 16 points and 11 assists for the Lakers. Dwight Howard had 18 points and nine rebounds.

HALFTIME
Kings 57, Lakers 53

The Kings weren't going to keep up their amazing shooting from the first quarter and cooled off considerably.

The Kings scored just 20 points in the second quarter as the Lakers rallied behind Kobe Bryant to get back in the game after falling behind by 12.

The Kings are still getting balanced scoring and have only three turnovers, but Bryant got going after going scoreless in the first quarter.

Bryant has 10 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

John Salmons has 13 points for the Kings. Jason Thompson (11 points) and DeMarcus Cousins (10 points) have also scored in double figures. Tyreke Evans has eight points, five assists and four rebounds.

Neither team has been stellar on defense.

The Kings are shooting 51.1 percent. The Lakers are shooting 52.6 percent.

FIRST QUARTER
Kings 37, Lakers 25

The Kings are shooting 71.4 percent to jump out to an early lead over the Lakers. The Kings made 15 of 21 shots, led by Jason Thompson.

Thompson made five of his six shots for a game-high 11 points. DeMarcus Cousins has eight points and three rebounds.

The Lakers shot 55 percent, but lost Steve Nash to a right hamstring strain two minutes into the game.

Kobe Bryant hasn't scored for the Lakers. Dwight Howard has eight points and three rebounds to lead the Lakers.

PHOENIX - In Sunday's loss to Philadelphia, Isaiah Thomas was not proud of his final statistics.

Well he wasn't proud of one in particular.

Zero assists.

Thomas has 15 assists in his last two games, both wins for the Kings while averaging 27 points.

"The game where he had zero assists, I think that really bothered him," said Kings coach Keith Smart." And in that game he had five plays where he made a pass to a player and he put it on the floor and dribbled for a jump shot. Once he made an advance pass to DeMarcus (Cousins) and it looked like it was going to be a clean lay up and he got fouled."

Thomas had nine assists in the game prior to the loss to Philly, but Thomas took no solace in that. Thomas sounded embarrassed to have no assists (while scoring 25 points).

"As a point guard you should never have zero assists regardless of the circumstance," Thomas said. "I feel like I made the right passes in that game but for whatever reason they didn't go down as assists. In these last two games I've been aggressive with trying to get my teammates involved early and then look for mine later."

Smart said that mindset is the next step for Thomas in his development as a player.

"I've shared this and I've been 100 percent truthful with him," Smart said. "I said you're starting for me, you're starting for an NBA team. But I don't know if the rest of the league sees you as a starting point guard and you take it is totally up to you. But you have to show you can manage a team and then pick spots when you must take over a basketball game."

As expected, Thomas takes those words as another challenge. After all, he's been too small or not good enough for a while.

"He can say whatever he wants to," Thomas said. "That's how he felt, that's how a lot of people feel but I'm just going to keep playing and do the best I can. I know I'm a legit starting point guard."

After scoring 23 points to go with eight assists in Thursday's win at Phoenix, Thomas earned another fan in Suns interim head coach Lindsey Hunter.

"I think the catalyst to it is their point guard," Hunter said of the Kings. "Isaiah Thomas does a great job distributing and scoring. He is a handful. He is only 5'9", but he plays like his is 6'4".

FINAL
Kings 117, Suns 103

PHOENIX - DeMarcus Cousins (34 points, 14 rebounds) and Isaiah Thomas (23 points, eight assists) sat out the entire fourth quarter as Sacramento cruised to is second win in a row, both coming on the road.

The Kings (27-46) jumped ahead in the first quarter and except for a few moments in the third quarter were never seriously challenged.

That had a lot to do with Cousins, who led the Kings to 62 points in the paint.

The Kings were dominant across the board.

Sacramento shot 53 percent and outrebounded the Suns 50-37 to make up for committing 18 turnovers (none in the fourth quarter).

Luis Scola led the Suns (23-50) with 25 points.

THIRD QUARTER
Kings 88, Suns 78

PHOENIX - DeMarcus Cousins (34 points, 14 rebounds) has till been dominant, but the Kings need to take care of the ball to hold on for the win.

The Kings have 18 turnovers that have led to 19 points for Phoenix. Turnovers helped the Suns cut a 19-point lead down to six (75-69) with 4:50 left in the third.

But the play of Cousins and Isaiah Thomas (23 points, eight assists) has been enough to keep the Kings in the lead.

Luis Scola has 16 points for the Suns. P.J. Tucker has 14 points.

HALFTIME
Kings 64, Suns 50

PHOENIX - At this rate DeMarcus Cousins might not play long enough to establish any new career highs.

Cousins already has 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Kings have been hot, shooting 54.4 percent in the first half.

The only other King to score in double figures has been Isaiah Thomas with 14 points. Thomas also has eight assists.

But Cousins has been the catalyst tonight as the Suns have no answer for him. Luis Scola isn't strong enough and Hamed Haddadi isn't quick enough to contend with Cousins.

The Suns are shooting just 40.8 percent. So not only can they not stop Cousins, they aren't playing well enough on offense to keep up.

FIRST QUARTER
Kings 38, Suns 32

PHOENIX - DeMarcus Cousins is on pace for a career night.

Cousins has 17 points on 6 of 7 shooting and seven rebounds. Cousins has made one of his two three pointers along the way.

Cousins' career high is 41 points, against Phoenix on April 3, 2012.

Cousins led an offense that made 13 of 20 shots to start the game, which helped overcome five turnovers.

Isaiah Thomas has 11 points six assists and Jason Thompson already has eight points.

P.J. Tucker has eight points to lead Phoenix.

OAKLAND - There's one playoff-bound team the Kings own.

Sacramento took the season series with the Golden State Warriors with their 105-98 win on Wednesday night.

Games that start at 7:30 p.m. tough with a 10:30 p.m. deadline, so there are plenty of notes that don't have time to make it into the game story.

FINAL
Kings 105, Warriors 98

OAKLAND - Behind 31 points and seven assists from Isaiah Thomas, the Kings ended a two-game losing streak and a four-game losing skid on the road.

The Kings (26-46) had not beaten a team with a wining record on the road this season until defeating the Warriors (41-32).

David Lee had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State, who followed up an emotional win over the Los Angeles Lakers by dropping a game most felt they could win considering the Kings have struggled on the road all season.

But Stephen Curry missed 5 of 18 shots in scoring 17 points and adding 12 assists.

The Kings won even though the Warriors scored 68 points in the paint, the most the Kings have allowed this season.

THIRD QUARTER
Kings 77, Warriors 66

OAKLAND - Isaiah Thomas dropped 17 points on the Warriors in the third quarter as the Kings led by as many as 12 points.

Thomas now has 23 points and seven assists. He's made 6 of 8 three pointers.

DeMarcus Cousins has 14 points and Jason Thompson has nine points and nine rebounds.

David Lee has 14 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors. Lee also has a game-high six turnovers.

The Kings have forced 14 turnovers.

HALFTIME
Kings 47, Warriors

OAKLAND - The Kings had just one turnover in the second quarter and overcome a nine-point deficit to take the lead at halftime.

The Kings trailed 33-24 early in the quarter, but rallied with their second unit. Marcus Thornton has 11 points off the bench to lead the Kings in scoring.

Isaiah Thomas has six points and six assists. DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson both have eight points.

David Lee has 12 points and five rebounds to lead Golden State. Andrew Bogut has 10 points and five rebounds.

Stephen Curry has six points and eight assists but has missed eight of his nine shots.

FIRST QUARTER
Warriors 27, Kings 24

OAKLAND - The Kings jumped out to a 12-2 lead and the Warriors answered with a 15-3 run to overcome their slow start.

The Kings helped the Warriors stay in the game by shooting 39.1 percent (9 of 23) and committing six turnovers.

Jason Thompson has eight points and four rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins has four points and five rebounds. Cousins, however, also has three turnovers.

Stephen Curry has four points and five assists, but his poor shooting against the Kings hasn't changed as he has missed five of his first six shots.

There were no surprises at the City Council meetings that ended a few hours. Council members voted 7-2 to approve a term sheet detailing the public's contribution to the proposed $448 million downtown sports and entertainment complex, with Kevin McCarty and Darrell Fong - both of whom expressed concern about the city's risk and the lack of time to more closely vet the agreement - voting against the agreement.

Tuesday's vote was the latest development in Mayor Kevin Johnson's campaign to keep the Kings in Sacramento. The Maloofs already sold their majority interest in the team to the Seattle-based group headed by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer, but the league's other owners (as stated in the NBA by-laws) have to approve all sales and relocations. Within the past several weeks, Johnson, attempting to come up with a counter bid, has put together a potential Kings ownership group that includes billionaire Ron Burkle, 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, Golden State Warriors minority owner Vivek Ranadive and Steve Jacobs, founder of San Diego-based-Qualcomm.

Here are a few other thoughts, quotes and observations from the meeting in the overheated, and overcrowded council chambers:

Kings guard Tyreke Evans (stomach) is questionable for Wednesday night's game at Golden State.

Evans began feeling ill at halftime of Sunday's loss to Philadelphia. Evans said he was vomiting and though he played in the third quarter was unable to finish the game.

Evans was held out of practice this afternoon and will be undergoing tests, so the team did not classify Evans has having the flu.

This was just another wild and crazy day in a Kings arena saga that has extended into its second decade - and become more dramatic by the hour. Before a fourth major investor emerged in the attempt to buy the team, build an arena and keep the franchise in Sacramento, joining the efforts of billionaire developer and Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle, 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov and Golden State Warriors minority owner Vivek Ranadive, I spoke with several interesting parties and NHL sources about Burkle.

The group includes former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell and Pat Brisson, Sidney Crosby's agent and longtime friend of hockey legend Mario Lemieux, who partnered with Burkle to buy the Penguins out of bankruptcy in 1999 and faciitated development of the new Consol Energy Center. I wrote a column about this for Tuesday's print editions of The Bee, but for a look ahead:

* Rendell, who was governor when the private/public financing plan for the arena was finalized in 2007, characterized Burkle as an aggressive, bruising, but fair negotiating partner. The former governor estimated the state's contribution to the $321 million facility, which opened in 2010, at 35 percent.

* Burkle is universally described as an intensely private, media-shunning pro sports owner. Nonetheless, because of his willingness and financial ability to spend and compete in the market, he is extremely popular in Pittsburgh. Of course, his team also wins: Since he joined Lemieux's ownership bid, the Penguins have been to the Stanley Cup finals twice, won once, and withstood repeated relocation threats before the new downtown facility was negotiated and constructed. The Penguins also currently own the best record in the NHL, are regarded as elite hockey franchise in the United States, and have sold out the building since Valentine's Day, 2007.

* The plot thickens. The addition of Ranadive last weekend to Sacramento's potential ownership group was interesting enough. David Stern loves his reputation as the most progressive commissioner in professional sports (think WNBA, the number of African-American head coaches, etc.), and the fact Ranadive would be the first Indian-born native is extremely significant. So is Stern's retirement date: Feb., 2014. If Mayor Kevin Johnson's coalition somehow pulls this for Sacramento? I think the Kings finally find a permanent home. That said, I still think Seattle winds up with an expansion franchise or the promise of the next team that financially is forced to relocate.

* The introduction of the Jacobs family, founders of San Diego-based Qualcomm, does nothing but strengthen Sacramento's efforts and suggest that a competitive bid for majority interest in the team will be presented to the league's relocation committee in the next few weeks. Of course, let's not forget the Maloofs have already agreed to sell the team to the Chris Hansen/Steve Ballmer group in Seattle, but also, that the Board of Governors has the right to approve all sales and relocations. Again, the league does not want yet another relocation, particularly one involving a franchise that was extremely robust and viable - a model franchise, Stern said - before the Maloofs were crushed during the nation's economic collapse.

* Burkle and Mastrov abruptly canceled a Monday afternoon visit to The Bee. In light of the late-afternoon developments, and the introduciton of the Jacobs family, it starts to make sense.

In case you didn't realize it, the Philadelphia 76ers aren't an offensive force in the NBA.

But if you watched the Kings play the 76ers on Sunday, you might think the 76ers were an offensive juggernaut.

Nope. Not even close.

FINAL
76ers 117, Kings 103

The Kings went from ahead by 13 points in the first half to being blown out by a balanced and surprisingly efficient Philadelphia team

The Kings (25-46) have now lost two games in a row with two road games coming up on the schedule.

Isaiah Thomas had 25 points to lead the Kings but registered no assists in the game. Tyreke Evans had 19 points and eight assists.

The 76ers (27-42) entered the game averaging a league-worst 92.4 points, but piled on the points after a slow start.

Dorell Wright had 22 points off the bench. Jrue Holiday finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Lavoy Allen added a career-high 20 points off the bench.

The 76ers scored a season high while matching their season-high with 31 assists.

THIRD QUARTER
76ers 91, Kings 82

The unraveling of the Kings continued in the third quarter. After leading by 13 in the first half, the Kings will need a big rally to comeback tonight.

The Kings' scoring has declined every quarter since scoring 31 in the first quarter. DeMarcus Cousins has five fouls, which has limited his effectiveness (six points, eight rebounds).

Sacramento's defense has been passive since the first quarter. Philadelphia shot 15 of 24 (62.5 percent ) in the third.

Six 76ers have scored in double figures, led by Dorell Wright with 19 points. Jrue Holiday is flirting with a triple double (17 points, seven rebounds, six assists).

Tyreke Evans has 19 points and eight assists to lead the Kings.

HALFTIME
Kings 58, 76ers 58

Philadelphia found its offense and outscored the Kings 36-27 in the second quarter.

It was the bench of the 76ers that did the bulk of the work. Dorell Wright scored 13 of 16 points in the second quarter and Lavoy Alen had 10 of his 12 points in the second period.

Tyreke Evans had two points in the second after his hot start and has 14 points and five assists. Marcus Thornton has 12 points and Patrick Patterson added 10 points.

DeMarcus Cousins had to leave the game briefly after suffering a long scratch under his right eye. Between that and three fouls, Cousins has only four points and six rebounds.

FIRST QUARTER
Kings 31, 76ers 22

Tyreke Evans is off to a hot start as the Kings have jumped on the poor-shooting 76ers.

Evans has 12 points and four assists in one of his best starts to a game in a while. DeMarcus Cousin had to leave the bench briefly (no reason given) but he had four points and five rebounds in seven minutes.

The Kings shot 13 of 21 (61.9 percent) in the quarter.

Spencer Hawes had six points and three rebounds for Philadelphia, which shot 10 of 27 (37 percent).

All-Star guard Jrue Holiday had four points and four assists, but missed five of his seven shots.

Hawes is being booed constantly for his admitted stance that he wants to see an NBA team back in his hometown of Seattle, even if it means the Kings being sold and moving there.

DENVER - The Kings had their chances. They were almost streak-busters. Almost. But after recovering from an early 15-point deficit and taking five-point leads in both of the final two periods, they committed a series of costly turnovers, failed to control the defensive boards, and allowed the Nuggets too many inside opportunities in a 101-95 loss at the Pepsi Center.

After DeMarcus Cousins brought the Kings within 95-92 and just under two minutes remaining, Jason Thompson was assessed a loose ball foul, Andre Miller drove past Isaiah Thomas for a layup (and free throw), and the Nuggets held on for their 15th straight victory.

The Nuggets, who also have won 17 straight at the Pepsi Center, were led by Danilo Gallinari's 19 points. They scored 62 points in the paint. Cousins led the Kings with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

DENVER - DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas and John Salmons led a nice run in the third quarter. Cousins' slithery drive gave the Kings their biggest lead of the game - 71-66 - with 3:30 minutes remaining in the third. The teams are exchanging the lead early in the fourth.

Here's a link to the term sheet on the agreement Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson announced today with a private investment group for a new sports and entertainment arena at the Downtown Plaza site.

For the term sheet go here.

For The Bee story by Tony Bizjak and Dale Kasler today, go here.

Photo courtesy Mayor's office

DENVER - Well, this game is unfolding about the way one might have expected. The Nuggets broke out to an early lead and spent the remainder of the first half toying with the Kings.
Breakouts. Dunks. Rebounds. Backdoor cuts. Perfect bounce passes. If he was watching back at his home in Princeton, former Kings special assistant Pete Carril probably liked what he saw ... from George Karl's bunch. And how many folks can even name Denver's starting lineup? No matter.
The Kings aren't hitting from three (2-for-10) and aren't doing much of anything else, either, and trail 50-40 at halftime. DeMarcus Cousins (eight rebounds, two assists) and Jimmer Fredette and seldom-used Travis Outlaw provided some spark, but that was it. Kings were outrebounded 28-10 through two periods.