SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Guard Rajon Rondo recorded his fifth triple-double of the season, forward DeMarcus Cousins scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and the Sacramento Kings defeated the Atlanta Hawks 91-88 for their season-high fourth consecutive win Thursday night.
The Kings (19-23) ended their 15-game losing streak to Atlanta, beating the Hawks for the first time since Feb. 20, 2008.
Sacramento solidified its hold on the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.
Forward Paul Millsap scored 14 points and had 14 rebounds for the Hawks (26-18), whose three-game winning streak ended. Guard Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 12 points, while forward Kent Bazemore and center Al Horford scored 11 apiece.
Rondo had 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Forward Omri Casspi scored 13 points for the Kings, while rookie center Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Guard Ben McLemore scored 14 points.
The Kings trailed 50-49 early in the third quarter but went on an 18-0 run to take a 67-50 lead with under five minutes left in the period. Cousins and Cauley-Stein ignited the burst with back-to-back slams, and McLemore converted a four-point play, drilling a 3-point shot, drawing a foul and making his free throw. That put the Kings ahead 58-50 with 7:38 left in the third.
The Hawks, however, fought back, cutting their deficit to 72-63 entering the fourth quarter. They opened the fourth on a 10-2 run and pulled into an 80-80 tie when Bazemore hit a jumper from the left wing with 5:45 left.
Casspi answered with a 3-point shot, putting Sacramento ahead 83-80 with 5:25 remaining.
The Kings led 88-85 with 41.3 seconds left when Cauley-Stein hit a pair of free throws, but Schroder nailed a 3-point shot, making it 88-88.
Rondo gave Sacramento a 90-88 lead with a driving lay-in with 12.9 seconds left, and Millsap committed a turnover with 3.3 seconds to go. The Hawks never got another shot off before the horn.
The Kings jumped to a 27-20 lead after one quarter but settled for a 47-44 edge at halftime.
Cousins had a double-double by halftime with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Rondo had six assists, five rebounds and three points, while Cauley-Stein chipped in eight points and seven rebounds before the break.
Millsap led Atlanta with eight first-half points.
NOTES: Kings starting F Rudy Gay was ruled out for Thursday’s game with a left heel contusion. F Omri Casspi started in his place and made his 16th start of the season. … Kings C/F DeMarcus Cousins finished 10th among Western Conference frontcourt players in fan voting for the NBA All-Star Game starters. He was an All-Star last season for the first time. … Hawks G Dennis Schroder is Atlanta’s only double-digit scorer off the bench at 10.6 points per game, but coach Mike Budenholzer said his backups make a huge contribution on defense. “It seems like some benches are built around some unique or dynamic scorers,” he said. “I think our bench has shown an ability to come in and have a big impact defensively, which we like. It fits us.” … Hawks F Paul Millsap entered the game as the NBA’s only player averaging at least 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block per game.