SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Center DeMarcus Cousins had 31 points and 15 rebounds, leading the Sacramento Kings to a 109-101 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday night in their first game under coach George Karl.
Small forward Rudy Gay added 28 points for the Kings, who overcame a 16-point first-quarter deficit to win despite committing 24 turnovers.
Point guard Avery Bradley scored 28 points to lead four players who scored in double figures for Boston. Center Tyler Zeller scored 22 points.
The Kings hired Karl during the All-Star break, signing him to a four-year, $15 million deal. Karl replaced Tyrone Corbin, who went 7-21 after taking over for Michael Malone in December.
Karl, who has a history of turning around struggling teams, smiled and waved to the crowd while receiving a rousing standing ovation before the game. He grimaced and shifted uncomfortably in his seat as his team committed six turnovers in the first four minutes.
The Celtics turned those turnovers into easy baskets, racing out to a 16-2 lead. They went up 27-11 on a jumper by Bradley, but the Kings rallied furiously behind their reserves, ending the quarter with a 17-0 run to take a 28-27 lead on a dunk by small forward Omri Casspi with 1.3 seconds remaining.
The Kings took a 40-33 lead on a layup by Cousins with 8:34 to go in the second quarter. Boston tied the game at 40 on two free throws by Zeller, but a 3-pointer by Gay capped a 10-0 run that put the Kings up 50-40.
Sacramento led 56-51 at the break. The Celtics cut the deficit to 58-57 on a layup by guard Marcus Smart early in the third quarter, but the Kings regained control, going ahead 74-66 when Cousins dunked emphatically in the face of Celtics center Jae Crowder with 3:24 to go.
The Kings took an 82-74 lead into the fourth quarter. The Celtics stormed back to take a 90-89 lead on a 3-point play by Zeller with 6:46 to play, but the Kings quickly reclaimed the lead and held on in the final minutes.