Kings 107, Raptors 100
SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings needed a late change in defensive assignments to control Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry and pull out a win Wednesday night.
Kings guard Tyreke Evans made back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and also slowed Lowry to lead Sacramento to a 107-100 victory before 12,476 fans at Sleep Train Arena.
Lowry scored a season-high 34 points as the Raptors (4-15) made a bid for their second road victory of the season. He added 11 assists and five rebounds in a do-everything performance.
Until Sacramento coach Keith Smart decided to move Evans over to guard Lowry, the stocky Toronto point guard went where he wanted when he wanted. However, Evans used his size (6-foot-6) and length to help the Kings prevail.
Evans also scored 23 points, providing the kind of all-round performance the Kings are waiting to see him contribute on a nightly basis.
Evans was one of five starters to score in double figures for Sacramento (5-12). Center DeMarcus Cousins scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while power forward Jason Thompson had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Evans added 23 points, and John Salmons scored 12.
Toronto's Andrea Bargnani shot 3-for-14 from the field, including 0-for-6 from behind the three-point arc.
The Kings jumped out to their largest lead of the game at 73-60 midway through the third quarter. Salmons made back-to-back 3-point shots, and the Kings looked as if they were in control.
However, no one notified Lowry, who was acquired during the offseason from the Houston Rockets. Lowry, one of the league's most physical point guards, took over the game, both from the perimeter and with his penetration.
He scored 15 points in the third. Meanwhile, the Kings watched five turnovers in the quarter turn into eight points and fuel the Raptors' comeback.
NOTES: Lowry, a point guard, leads the Raptors in rebounds per game at 5.8 per game. Lowry is listed at 6 feet. He and Miami's 6-foot-9 star LeBron James are the only two players in the NBA averaging 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. ... The Kings entered Wednesday's contest having averaged 87.3 points in their previous three games after averaging 107.7 points in the three preceding games. ... Evans returned to action after missing the two previous games with a bruised left knee. ... Kings coach Keith Smart is trying to help his team and coaching staff deal with a slow start to the season. "It's hard on the team. It's hard on everyone. It comes down to us having to make that one game-winning shot. But you have to clean up all the incidents prior to that to give yourself more of a cushion," he said.
