SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Center DeMarcus Cousins and point guard Rajon Rondo kept streaking Saturday and so did the Sacramento Kings.
Cousins scored a career-high 48 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to continue a torrid January, and the Kings won their fifth straight with a 108-97 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Sleep Train Arena. Cousins is averaging 32.5 points and 13.7 rebounds in 11 games since the start of 2016.
The sixth-year veteran also recorded his 10th straight double-double to keep alive Sacramento’s longest winning streak since November of last season. The Kings (20-23) have gone 19-16 since losing seven of their first eight to start the season.
Rondo finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second straight triple-double and sixth of the season, passing Chris Webber for the most by a Sacramento player in a single season. Rondo has recorded at least 10 assists in 11 straight games, an ongoing Sacramento record.
Forward Paul George, a day after being named an Eastern Conference All-Star starter, led Indiana (23-21) with 34 points. The Pacers lost for the second consecutive night and for the fifth time in their past six games.
Cousins made 17 of 29 shots from the field to surpass his previous career scoring best of 41 points, set at home against the Phoenix Suns on April 3, 2012. He scored 13 in the opening quarter and 24 in the first half, and Sacramento never trailed.
Guard Darren Collison added 11 points, and forward Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 rebounds for Sacramento.
The Kings’ hot streak has been spurred by defense, and Sacramento again was stingy on the defensive end. The Kings, who yield an NBA worst 107.4 points per game, have held three straight opponents under 100 points and have surrendered an average of 96.4 points per contest during the winning streak.
Center Jordan Hill had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, while guard Monta Ellis added 16 points and seven assists. Rookie forward Myles Turner, who had totaled 71 points on 30-for-41 shooting during the first three games of Indiana’s trip, scored 11 and made five for 13 from the field.
Guard George Hill returned from a three-game absence (personal reasons) to score eight points in 33 minutes for the Pacers.
NOTES: Sacramento was 5-2 at Sleep Train Arena in its seven previous home games against the Eastern Conference this season. … Indiana winds up a five-game stretch against the Western Conference, when it faces the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in the first of a four-game homestand. The Pacers play at home in seven of their final nine games leading up to the All-Star break. … Kings F Rudy Gay (left heel contusion) sat out after being downgraded to doubtful hours before the contest. Gay and C DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings’ two leading scorers, have played together in only 29 of the team’s 43 games. … Pacers F Paul George joins G Reggie Miller and C Jermaine O’Neal as the only Indiana players to start an NBA All-Star Game.