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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo, right, knocks the ball from San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. >> Tony Parker scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 108-92 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.
The Spurs took the lead for good with just over 4 minutes left in the third quarter, then pulled away in the fourth in winning for the ninth time in 10 games. San Antonio continued its dominance against the Kings, beating Sacramento for the 35th time in 39 games.
Kawhi Leonard had 18 points and Danny Green 16 for the Spurs. Kyle Anderson scored 14, while LaMarcus Aldridge struggled offensively but played solid defense on DeMarcus Cousins, and finished with nine rebounds and five blocks.
Cousins had 21 of his 22 points in the second half and added 10 rebounds for the Kings, who had their three-game win streak snapped. Both Darren Collison and Quincy Acy had 15 points, Willie Cauley-Stein scored 12 and Rajon Rondo had seven points, 18 assists and eight rebounds.
It was an extremely slow start for Cousins, who typically struggles against the Spurs’ well-orchestrated defense. A frustrated Cousins, who had 39 and 37 points in his previous two games since the All-Star break, missed all 10 first-half shots.
Cousins’ first field goal came on a dunk early in the third quarter. He made his first six shots in the third, including four dunks and a 3-pointer. He had 16 points in the quarter, helping the Kings cut the lead to 76-70.
Three jumpers by David West and a corner 3-pointer by Leonard highlighted a 15-2 run to open the fourth quarter and give the Spurs a 91-72 advantage.
Leonard, the Spurs’ leading scorer, had missed the previous three games due to tightness in his left calf. He started the game and missed his first five shots, but got going in the second quarter with seven points.
TIP INS
Spurs: Veteran center Tim Duncan was ineffective, going scoreless and getting two rebounds in 12 minutes. … The Spurs are 5-1 in their “rodeo” road trip with two games remaining. The eight-game road trip is caused by the annual rodeo at AT&T Center. … Entering the game, San Antonio had a plus-697 point differential, which is among the highest in NBA history through 56 games.
Kings: Sacramento shot 31.5 percent in the opening half. … Rondo has recorded 10 assists or more 38 times this season. He made a 3 at the buzzer to end the first quarter to pull the Kings within 25-24. … Ex-Spur Marco Belinelli continued his shooting woes, missing all five shots and going scoreless.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Visit Utah on Thursday.
Kings: Host Clippers on Friday.
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