National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Sacramento 110, Houston 106
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials: #70 Brent Barnaky, #42 Eric Lewis, #23 Jason Phillips
Attendance: 18232

Kings 110, Rockets 106: Rudy Gay scored 25 points and DeMarcus Cousins came up big down the stretch as visiting Sacramento edged Houston.

Cousins collected 17 points and 16 rebounds and had the go-ahead basket and a key steal in the final minute as Sacramento wrapped up December with a 6-10 mark for the month. Isaiah Thomas chipped in 17 points and 10 assists and Marcus Thornton added 15 points off the bench for Sacramento.

James Harden recorded season highs of 38 points and 10 rebounds but turned the ball over twice in the final minute as the Rockets suffered their second straight loss. Dwight Howard contributed 15 points and eight boards while Terrence Jones chipped in 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for Houston.

The Kings knotted it at 90 on Jimmer Fredette’s free throws with 6:58 left before Harden completed a three-point play and buried one from beyond the arc during an 8-2 burst. Sacramento went back on top on Cousins’ basket with 56 seconds left before the center stole the ball from Harden and found Ben McLemore for a layup and a 107-104 lead with 38 ticks remaining, and Harden’s offensive foul led to Thomas’ clinching free throw.

The Kings closed the second quarter with a 7-2 run to take a 58-52 lead into the break but Harden got hot in the third quarter, pouring in 16 points in the frame. The Rockets outscored Sacramento 34-22 in the period to take a six-point lead into the fourth.

PREDICTION:
The Rockets struggled to 21-of-33 from the free-throw line as Howard and Chandler Parsons combined to miss 10 of their 17 attempts. … Houston F Greg Smith (knee) missed his sixth straight game but is hoping to return by Friday. … Cousins has recorded five straight double-doubles.
Top Game Performances
 
Sacramento   Houston
Rudy Gay 25 Scoring James Harden 38
Isaiah Thomas 10 Assists Jeremy Lin 6
DeMarcus Cousins 16 Rebounds Terrence Jones 11
Rudy Gay 6 Free Throws Made James Harden 9
DeMarcus Cousins 4 Steals Omri Casspi 3
DeMarcus Cousins 1 Blocks Terrence Jones 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Sacramento 110 49.4 7-22 19-23 22 39 2 9 13
Houston 106 48.1 7-28 21-33 16 43 7 10 16
Upcoming Games
  • Houston will play their next game at home against New York. The Rockets have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Sacramento will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Kings have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.