The Kings didn't start playing defense until the second half, and DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay were never able to get their offense going.
The Kings aren't going to win many games, if any, when DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay combine to shoot 5-27 from the field and that was the case tonight. The Wizards did a terrific job of defending them, but they also missed shots that they'd normally make.
Isaiah Thomas was the only real bright spot for the Kings, scoring 30 points for the third time this season to go with 8 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Rookie Ben McLemore had a decent game off the bench with 11 points and 6 rebounds.
The Wizards were far more balanced in their scoring, led by Nene's 18 points. All but two Wizards scored at least 8 points, and five reached double digits.
The Kings shot just 35.4% from the field, and made just 2-11 of their threes. Washington wasn't all that much better at 43.0% but they did hit 8-21 from three and took care of the ball better as the Kings had 18 turnovers to Washington's 14.
Sacramento got down by as many as 17 points in the 3rd quarter before a huge dunk by Quincy Acy seemed to spark some life in them.
Thomas and McLemore, along with some stingier defense (the Wizards had been shooting around 55% at the half) allowed the Kings to get within 4 points. However Gay and Cousins still couldn't get going and the Kings missed some good opportunities to chip the lead even further.
Cousins' 3-16 from the field was his lowest of the season and the lowest since shooting 1-12 against Denver in March of last year. The Kings get a day off to regroup before they play a back-to-back against Cleveland and New York to finish off this Eastern Conference trip.
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