Cousins, Rondo host dunk party in Kings’ narrow win over Knicks

The Sacramento Kings have been irrelevant for a good long while, which means that this season ranks as one of the most exciting in recent franchise history. The team sat three games out of the Western Conference playoff picture heading into Thursday’s home game against the New York Knicks, but DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo have made the Kings a lot of fun. That’s worth something, no matter how small it may look from the perspective of the NBA’s best squads.

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Cousins and Rondo each gave fans reason for excitement in Thursday’s nationally televised contest. With about 6:20 remaining in the first half, Cousins dunked very hard on Knicks center Robin Lopez for this highlight:

Cousins has done such things before, but Rondo’s fourth-quarter baseline drive and slam was much more surprising from a player responsible for 10 dunks in the past five seasons:

It was a notable night for both players — Cousins put up 27 points and 11 boards and Rondo fell a rebound shy of a triple-double with 16 points and 12 assists. But the Kings nearly gifted the Knicks a win when Darren Collison turned the ball over with just five seconds remaining. Down just two points, the Knicks gave the ball to Carmelo Anthony in the hopes that he could hit a buzzer-beater winner or force overtime. He passed up several open teammates to try a difficult 28-footer and missed (although he arguably got fouled, too). Watch the whole finish in this clip:

The Kings escaped with a 99-97 win and ensured that those exciting dunks would go down as useful plays rather than mere Vine fodder. Of course, neutrals probably don’t care much if the Kings win or lose this season. It’s enough that they’re grabbing our attention at all.

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