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Kings outlast Jazz

Feb 29, 2012 - 7:00 AM Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - DeMarcus Cousins scored 22 points and ripped down 18 rebounds to pace the Kings, as they outlasted the Utah Jazz 103-96 at Power Balance Pavilion on Tuesday.

All five starters finished in double figures for the Kings, including 21 points from Marcus Thornton, 18 from Isaiah Thomas, and 13 from Tyreke Evans. Jason Thompson added 10 points for Sacramento, which has won two straight on the heels of a six-game losing streak.

"It's always great to come back and win your first game," said Thornton after the game. "We're just going to try to carry this momentum on throughout the rest of the season."

Devin Harris paced the Jazz with 18 points and seven assists, while Josh Howard netted 15 points and pulled down seven boards. Utah dropped to 3-12 on the road and has now lost four straight games.

Neither team led by more than three in a tightly contested fourth until Sacramento, trailing by a point, reeled off eight straight points to take a 93-87 lead with 3:48 to play.

The momentum looked to be shifting toward the Kings until Harris finished a layup in close to pull within four and Cousins received a technical for bumping Harris after the bucket.

Gordon Hayward added the free throw, and after an empty Kings' possession, Harris finished another layup to make it a 95-94 game with under two minutes left.

The Kings tallied the next three points, but Howard answered with a jumper to make it a 98-96 contest.

Sacramento came up empty on its next possession, but Hayward missed an open trey from the corner at the other end and the Kings secured the rebound.

Thornton stepped to the line and buried 5-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to close out the victory for the home team.

"It's just frustrating. It's a game we feel like we should have won," remarked Harris after the game. "Obviously, we let the last couple slip in the last couple minutes of the game. The hard lesson is learned, but hopefully we don't have to learn too many more of them."

The teams remained close throughout the first three stanzas, as neither team led by more than seven for the duration of the contest, which saw 20 lead changes and 15 ties.

The Jazz held a 25-23 advantage after one and a 47-44 edge at halftime. The Kings finally jumped ahead in the third, taking a 74-71 advantage into the final frame after Marcus Thornton finished the quarter on a personal 5-0 run.

Game Notes

Utah will host Houston on Wednesday, while Sacramento will visit the Clippers on Thursday...Sacramento scored 60 points in the paint, compared to 46 from the Jazz...The Kings made 24-of-29 at the free throw line. The Jazz made just 11 of their 22 shots at the charity stripe.