Sacramento Kings Big Third Quarter Pushes Them Past The Denver Nuggets, 109-95

Feb 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) drives to the basket against Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov (left) during the second half at Pepsi Center. The Kings won 109-95. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets (25-30) took the lead entering the half up by four on the Sacramento Kings, but got outscored in the third quarter 39-18 as the Kings held on to a 109-95 victory. Kings small forward Rudy Gay took advantage of the Nuggets by recording a double-double consisting of 32 points and 11 rebounds. Gay would shoot 12-of-23 from the field, converting 8-of-9 free-throw attempts.

Gay’s teammates DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas would also put together big games for the Kings. Cousins finished with 27 points on 8-of-16 shooting, knocking down 11-of-12 free-throw attempts to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Thomas on the other hand finished with 33 points, shooting 12-of-16 from the field while connecting for four three-pointers. Thomas would also record 6 assists and 3 steals.

Evan Fournier continues to impress as he came off of the bench, tying a team-high with 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting, connecting on 4-of-5 three’s. Fournier would also hit 7-of-8 free-throw attempts to go along with 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Shooting guard Randy Foye would tie him in points with 27 as well, shooting 8-of-18 from the field, 6-of-11 from deep. Here is what Foye had to say after the game.

"“We basically controlled the whole first half, did what we wanted to do, and then we came out and gave up 39 points in the third quarter. That’s unacceptable,” Foye said after Denver managed just 18 points in the third."

This has been the theme for this Nuggets team who is limited in players. They can never seem to put a complete game together as they always come out of the half sluggish and unwilling to put forth energy. Wilson Chandler is one of those players that has the talent but he just doesn’t play with energy. His struggles continue as he shot just 2-of-7 from the field, collecting 6 points and a plus/minus rating of -25.

The Denver Nuggets (25-30) return to action Tuesday night as they host one of the surprising teams in the NBA — the Portland Trailblazers. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM MT.