''Absolutely we wanted this win,'' Cousins said. The Lakers had won the first three meetings this season and beaten their Pacific Division rivals five consecutive overall.
#RUDY GAY LAKERS 31 POINTS SERIES#
Sacramento, which avoided a series sweep, scored nine straight points early in the second quarter and didn't trail again in winning its second straight. Cousins picked up his fourth foul with 7:11 left in the third quarter and went to the bench a short time later. Foul trouble plagued Cousins in the opening half when he played only 10 minutes and had eight points and three fouls. DeMarcus Cousins had 20 points and 10 rebounds, while rookie guard Ben McLemore had 12 points for Sacramento. Nick Young, who scored 40 points Tuesday in a loss to Portland, had 17 points and Kent Bazemore added 14.
''They should be taking these opportunities to get better and try to get some wins.'' Jodie Meeks scored 21 points and Jordan Hill had 18 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter for the Lakers. But there were a lot of opportunities for a lot of our guys,'' Lakers coach Mike D'Antonio said. The last time the Lakers had 50 or more losses was 1974-75 (30-52). They are on pace to have their worst record in the Los Angeles era. The Lakers (25-50) are experiencing only their eighth losing season since moving west from Minneapolis in 1960. The Lakers, losers of six straight road games, are 11-27 away from home this season. Los Angeles lost its second straight and fourth in five games. Missing the game were Pau Gasol (vertigo), Steve Nash (ankle), Chris Kaman (calf) and Xaiver Henry (multiple injuries). It was one more game where they played with a depleted roster. The game is definitely slowing down and I'm getting more comfortable.'' There's nothing comfortable regarding the Lakers right now. ''Sometimes in this league the opportunity only comes once,'' said McCallum, who played three seasons at the University of Detroit where he was coached by his father, Ray McCallum Sr. It's his demeanor, his composure, and his poise.'' McCallum had 22 points and 10 assists Monday in a victory at New Orleans. ''The biggest thing that impresses me isn't his scoring or his assists. ''Every time I think he can't get any better he finds a way to prove me wrong,'' Kings coach Michael Malone said. With McCallum directing the offense, the Kings only committed eight turnovers, three by the poised rookie. Against the Lakers, McCallum made 12 of 22 shots and added five assists and four rebounds in 46 minutes. But McCallum, who has started the last five games due to the deep quadriceps injury to Isaiah Thomas, has played like a savvy veteran point guard of late. McCallum, the 36th overall pick in the 2013 draft, spent the majority of his rookie season with little court time, other than some strong performances in the D-League. Rudy Gay scored nine of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and McCallum had a career-high 27 points to help the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-102 on Wednesday night. (AP) - An anonymous rookie several weeks ago, Ray McCallum is making opponents take note of his game. As a team, the Lakers shot 52 percent from the field and 14 of 35 from the 3-point line as they dominated the first half to build an early 23-point lead, but they took their foot off the gas and paid the price in the second half where they got outscored by 67-39 to suffer one of their worst defeats of the season.SACRAMENTO, Calif. LeBron James led the team with 39 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Malik Monk added 23 points with six assists off the bench while Russell Westbrook chipped in with 18 points with seven rebounds and six assists. The Los Angeles Lakers have been in a major slump as they’ve lost six of their last eight games and they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after getting stopped by the Pelicans in a 116-108 road loss on Sunday. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks do battle at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday night.
The Line: Dallas Mavericks -12.5 Over/Under: -223.5