The Miami Heat (7-4) defeated the Sacramento Kings (4-9) 116-109 on Thursday.
The Kings found out earlier in the afternoon that they'd lost starting power forward DeMarcus Cousins for the night, due to a suspension stemming from his forearm shot on Al Horford in Wednesday night's contest versus the Hawks. The ripple effect of his absence brought Kosta Koufos and Omri Casspi into the starting lineup for Sacramento, which could have used their All-Star big man, particularly during a valiant effort to close their deficit in the second half. Although they found themselves in a 56-46 hole at the half, the Kings did finish with a healthy total of 109 points due to a number of valuable contributions across the lineup.
Rajon Rondo held up his end of the bargain trying to keep the Kings offense running on all cylinders, coming within a rebound of a second consecutive triple-double and fourth in five games. The veteran point guard poured in 14 points and 18 assists, while hauling in nine boards for good measure. Rudy Gay supported Rondo's effort with a double-double performance of his own, posting 13 points, 12 rebounds, a pair of assists, and a steal. Meanwhile, Casspi played a season-high 39 minutes and was productive with the extended court time, chipping in with a 16-point, six-rebound effort. Ben McLemore continued to show signs of offensive life after a rough start to the season, amassing double-digit points (17) for the second consecutive night. Notably, Marco Belinelli contributed a season-high 23 points off the bench in a highly efficient 26 minutes.
The Kings fell to 4-9 and currently reside in fourth place in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. They next head to Orlando for a date with the Magic on Saturday.
The Heat benefited from strong bounce-back efforts from their two veteran stars, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. The All-Stars had each suffered through middling performances versus the Timberwolves on Tuesday, but took advantage of their respective favorable matchups against Sacramento. Free of having to bump bodies with Cousins all night, Bosh posted 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and a block in one of his most complete performances of the year. Wade stuffed the stat sheet as well, amassing 24 points, six assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals against the Kings' vulnerable shooting guard defense. Hassan Whiteside had a relatively quiet game by his standards and couldn't get on the stat sheet until well into the second quarter, but finished with a respectable 12 points, five rebounds, a pair of steals and four more blocks. Much like his Kings shooting guard counterpart Belinelli, Tyler Johnson turned in an impressive performance in a reserve role for Miami, pacing the Heat bench with 19 points over 25 minutes.
The Heat improved to 7-4 and remain in second place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They remain home for a showdown with the Sixers on Saturday.
