Instant Replay: Cousins' near triple-double leads Kings past Lakers

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BOX SCORE

The Kings are rolling. Sacramento walked into the Staples Center riding a three game win streak and while it wasn’t easy, they pushed the run to four. The Lakers put up a big time fight in the fourth quarter, but in the end, DeMarcus Cousins was too much to handle and the Kings came away with the 97-96 win.

In 36 minutes of actions, Cousins scored 40 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out eight assists. He added two steals and a block in the win. Cousins continued his alarming trend of turning the ball over, but that did slow down the All-Star big.

Darren Collison played major minutes again with Ty Lawson’s absence. The veteran used his speed to break down the Lakers guards on his way to a 13-points, eight-assist night.

Ben McLemore kept his recent hot streak going, scoring 13 points on 3-of-5 from 3-point range and Arron Afflalo chipped in 10 points on 5-for-7 from the field and Willie Cauley-Stein added eight off the bench.

Lou Williams got hot in the second half. LA’s leading scorer started bombing away from long range and running out on the break to score 19 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter.

Julius Randle made his presence known for Los Angeles. The third-year big out of Kentucky dropped in 11 points and seven rebounds, but he sat on the Lakers bench for most of the second half.

Nick Young isn’t shy about hoisting up shots, even if they aren’t falling. Young shot just 3-of-10 from the field, but managed to score 10 points on the night.

STANDOUT PERFORMER

Cousins has to curb his turnovers and he missed seven free throws on the night, but the three-time All-Star put on a show. One Lakers big after another tried to slow him down, with little to no success.

TURNING POINT

Sacramento had a 13 point lead in the early fourth quarter, but with Cousins on the bench, the Lakers made a huge run to tie the game at 79-79. Cousins and Williams dueled all the way down the stretch with Williams missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game.

INJURY UPDATE

Ty Lawson missed his third straight game with a strained left adductor muscle. Garrett Temple is out until after the All-Star break with a torn left hamstring. Omri Casspi missed his 16th straight contest with a right plantaris tendon strain. Rudy Gay is out for the season with a torn left Achilles.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Kings finish off their pre-All-Star break schedule Wednesday night in Oakland with a matchup against the star-studded Warriors.

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