The Kings started off the quarter very strong, going on a 14-2 run. The Kings kept up the pressure throughout and ended up taking a one point lead on a Carl Landry dunk at the 2:43 mark of the 2nd quarter, chopping what was once a 20 point deficit in less than 12 minutes.
The Kings would extend the lead to a high of six on a Francisco Garcia three pointer late, but the Wizards would respond with two baskets including an Al Thornton halftime buzzer beater to cut it down to two at the half.
Beno Udrih was the biggest reason for the Kings resurgence in the 2nd, scoring 11 points on a variety of shots, as well as setting up his teammates on the fastbreaks. The Kings also got some help from Francisco Garcia (9), Omri Casspi (9) and big man Carl Landry (8).
DeMarcus Cousins also saw more success in the second, using his quickness down low to get by his defender and throw down a couple nasty dunks. After being held scoreless in the first, Cousins had 8 points in the quarter and also a nice block on his former Kentucky teammate John Wall.
The Wizards couldn’t get anything going in the 2nd. Andray Blatche got into foul trouble relatively early and didn’t score at all in the 2nd. John Wall didn’t either, and also added four more turnovers to his stat line. After shooting 71.4% in the first, the Wizards ended the half at 51.2%.
It’s a whole new ballgame now and I expect the 2nd half to be a bit more competitive as halftime adjustments are made.