SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tyreke Evans had 26 points and seven assists in the Sacramento Kings’ most lopsided victory of the season, a 121-79 rout of the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
The Kings opened the second quarter with a 26-4 run against the lethargic Bulls to hike their lead to 34 points. It was an almost error-free first half for the Kings, who committed just one turnover and took a 65-36 lead into intermission.
The Kings shot 54 per cent and tied a season low with five turnovers.
Making his first start of the season, Patrick Patterson had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Jason Thompson had 12 points for the Kings, who snapped a five-game losing streak against Chicago.
Carlos Boozer scored 21 points and Nate Robinson had 19 for the slumping Bulls, who lost their second straight and fourth in five games.
The Bulls have dropped a season-high five straight road games and have a 7-12 record since beating Milwaukee on Jan. 30.
The Bulls shot 38 per cent, missed 19 of 21 3-point attempts, and committed 17 turnovers.
Short-handed Chicago played without injured forward Taj Gibson (knee) and veteran guards Richard Hamilton (back) and Kirk Hinrich (foot), who are all out indefinitely.
At least for one game, it mattered very little that Sacramento played without DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings’ leading scorer and rebounder. He missed the game due to a sore left knee.
Cousins picked up his 12th technical foul of the season and was ejected from Sunday’s game against Milwaukee after picking up a Flagrant 2 for elbowing Mike Dunleavy in the head.
Though there was speculation Cousins would be suspended by the NBA and miss the game, the volatile centre was spared of his third league suspension this season.
"It was going to be difficult for him to play in this game regardless of what might have happened (regarding a suspension) based on the injury that DeMarcus has," Kings coach Keith Smart said before the game.
There was no letting up in the third quarter for the Kings, who didn’t allow the Bulls to cut into their 29-point deficit. Isaiah Thomas had 11 points and continued to push the tempo for Sacramento, which took a 93-60 lead into the fourth.
Evans had 18 points in the first half, when the Kings shot 58 per cent. Sacramento began the second quarter with an 11-2 run and the lead remained in double figures the remainder of the game.
It was a horrible first half at both ends of the court for the Bulls, who shot 35 per cent, committed eight turnovers, and allowed 15 fast-break points. Boozer was the only bright spot for Chicago with 16 points.
Patterson helped get the Kings off to a fast start, making all five shots and scoring 11 first-quarter points. Sacramento shot 65 per cent in the opening quarter and led 34-20.
Notes: Former league MVP Derrick Rose worked out before the game. Rose, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last April, is still contemplating a return to the Bulls this season. . Evans has averaged 23.7 points in his last three games. . Kings reserve forward James Johnson missed his second straight game due to personal reasons. . Attendance was 14,426.
