Kings 107, Nets 86
SACRAMENTO -- Marcus Thornton came off the bench to score a game-high 24 points, and the new-look Sacramento Kings ended a five-game losing streak with a 107-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at Sleep Train Arena.
Thornton, who started the Kings' first six games at guard, canned his first two 3-point attempts after entering the game and wound up making 10 of 18 shots from the field, including four of eight from 3-point distance.
With his team winless since beating the Denver Nuggets on opening night, rookie Kings coach Michael Malone shook up the lineup. Rookie Ben McLemore received his first-ever start in Thornton's place, and Jason Thompson replaced Patrick Patterson in the Kings' frontcourt. Thompson finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Guard Greivis Vasquez added 17 points and 12 assists, and backcourt mate Isaiah Thomas added 19 points, six rebounds and six assists for Sacramento (2-5). Center DeMarcus Cousins had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Center Brook Lopez had 16 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn (2-5). Guards Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston each added 13, and forward Paul Pierce had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Forward Kevin Garnett was held to six points. He failed to crack double digits in all seven of Brooklyn's games.
Thornton's 3-pointers were part of his 13-point second quarter that helped the Kings race out to a 52-40 halftime lead, only the second time this season they led at intermission all season. The Kings also played their best defensive quarter of the season, holding the Nets to 6-of-22 shooting.
The lineup change seemed to help the Kings, as a Sacramento team prone to falling behind early jumped out to a 15-11 lead with the new starting lineup and never trailed.
NOTES: Brooklyn F Kevin Garnett played his 1,330rd career game, moving past Moses Malone into 10th on the NBA's all-time list. ... Nets F Andrei Kirilenko missed the game due to back spasms. ... Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins was coming off back-to-back 30-point nights, the first Kings player to do so since G Kevin Martin on Feb. 2 and 4, 2009. ... The game marked the start of a three-game West Coast swing for the Nets and was the second of a five-game homestand for the Kings. ... Sacramento rookie coach Michael Malone matched up against a rookie coach -- Brooklyn's Jason Kidd -- for the third time in its first seven games. ... Cousins, who led the NBA with 17 technical fouls last season, picked up his second of the new campaign.
