Toronto Raptors guards DeMar DeRozan (left) and Jose Calderon watch from the bench in the dying seconds of the Raptors' 105-96 loss to the Sacramento Kings in NBA action in Toronto on Friday January 4, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
January 04, 2013 - 6:44 PM
TORONTO - DeMarcus Cousins poured in 31 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to lift the Sacramento Kings to a 105-96 victory over the Raptors on Friday, handing Toronto its first loss at home in six games.
Kyle Lowry scored 24 points to top the Raptors (12-21), who've lost just twice in 10 games.
Alan Anderson added 20 points, DeMar DeRozan finished with 14, Jose Calderon had 13 points and just three assists, and Ed Davis had 11 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
John Salmons added 20 points for the Kings, who won for just the third time on the road this season.
The game was a sloppy affair for a Toronto team that was coming off one of its most solid performances this season just two nights earlier in a 102-79 victory over Portland.
For all the positive vibe around a team that had been digging out of its early-season hole with hustle and teamwork, the Raptors seemed to be able to do little right Friday.
They had no answer for Cousins, who hammered the home team inside all night long with the Kings outscoring Toronto 52-32 in the paint.
And while the Raptors have been on a hot streak, the Kings have as well, winning six of their last nine games.
Toronto had an eight-point lead in the second quarter, but the wheels fell off in a third quarter that saw the Raptors outscored 28-10. They trailed 82-63 heading into the fourth in front of a disgruntled Air Canada Centre crowd that had developed a taste for winning.
The Raptors pulled to within 13 points with six minutes to play on back-to-back three-pointers from Calderon and Anderson, but that was as close as they would come.
Before the game, Raptors coach Dwane Casey cautioned against getting too excited over Toronto's recent success too soon.
"We're still 12 and 20, I'm not jumping up and down and throwing snowballs," he said.
Both team were missing some key players as Sacramento played its 10th straight game without Tyreke Evans (knee injury).
The Raptors have played 10 straight without forward Andrea Bargnani, and fourth without rookie forward Jonas Valanciunas. Linas Kleiza sat his second straight game with a sore knee.
Cousins had nine points and four boards as the Kings led for a good chunk of the first quarter — but never by more than six points. The visitors took a 23-22 advantage into the second.
The Raptors went on a 17-5 run early in the second to take an eight-point lead, but the Kings headed into the locker-room at halftime up 54-53.
Cousins continued to pound Toronto — to the tune of 10 points and eight rebounds — in the third quarter as the Kings outscored the Raptors 28-10 and took a 82-63 lead into the fourth.
NOTES: Sacramento took the first meeting between the two teams 107-100 on Dec. 5. . . The Raptors host Oklahoma City on Sunday. . . The Blue Jays' Jose Bautista and Adam Lind chucked autographed balls up into the crowd during a timeout.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013