The streak is over.

Marcus Thornton and Isaiah Thomas caught fire in the second half, leading the Sacramento Kings to the 115-107 road victory over the Washington Wizards.  The win ends a season-high six-game losing skid.

Thornton scored 18 of his 22 points after intermission.  Thomas added 16 points in the third and fourth quarters combined and finished with 18 points and six assists.

Tyreke Evans did a ton of damage in the first half, scoring 20 of his 22 points before intermission.  DeMarcus Cousins added 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, but joined Evans on the bench in the deciding fourth quarter.  Following an impressive performance in Miami, veteran Francisco Garcia gave a spirited effort off the Kings bench with 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting.

Wizards guard John Wall barely missed a triple-double, finishing with 21 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in defeat.  Sixth man Jordan Crawford lit up the Kings, scoring 32 points on 12-for-19 shooting.  The second-year guard scored 15 in the second quarter, helping his team to a 68-60 lead at halftime.  Unfortunately for the Wizards, they faded in the second half where they were outscored 55-39 on the way to an eight-point loss.

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Starting in just his third career game, rookie Isaiah Thomas did everything in his power to keep tonight’s contest in South Beach close.

Thomas scored an incredible 20 points in the third quarter, including knocking down five of his six three-point attempts on his way to a 24-point, five assist night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the Sacramento Kings, who lost their sixth game in a row, 120-108 to the Miami Heat.

Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 30 points, but Mario Chalmers kept the Heat going.  The former Kansas Jayhawk scored 20 points, including six made three-point attempts.  Chris Bosh scored 20 points and grabbed 10 boards, while LeBron James kicked in 18 for the Heat, who now stand at 26-7 following their seventh consecutive win.

Marcus Thornton scored 23 points for the Kings, including a late barrage of three-pointers to end the first half.  Tyreke Evans finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and chipped in 10 assists, while Jason Thompson finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

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With 2.9 seconds remaining, DeMarcus Cousins rolled through the lane and flipped in what looked to be the game winner for the Sacramento Kings.   But with the clock ticking and his team leading by one, Tyreke Evans made an unforgivable mistake tonight.

The third-year guard reached in and fouled rookie Kyrie Irving, who sank two free throws with four-tenths of a second left to give the Cavs a 93-92 home win, sending the Kings to their fifth consecutive loss.

Regardless of the outcome, Isaiah Thomas was the star of the night .  Matched-up against Irving, the first pick in the 2011 NBA draft, and starting just his second game as a pro, Mr. Irrelevant barely missed a triple-double.  He led the Kings with 23 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

Irving was impressive as a scorer, but he didn’t pick up his first assist until late in the third quarter.  But in the end, Irving gets the praise for hitting two game-winning free throws in the waning seconds.  His 23 points led the Cavs on the night, while veteran Antawn Jamison chipped in 21 of his own and added eight rebounds.

Tristan Thompson, the Cavs other top four pick, notched a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds off the bench.

Marcus Thornton scored 21 points and a surprising 10 rebounds for the Kings, who drop to 10-21 on the season.

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Call it youth.  Call it inexperience or poor chemistry.  Something is missing in the Sacramento Kings locker room and the result is a schizophrenic team on the floor.

Fingers have been pointed.  One job has already been lost and there will likely be more casualties in this frantic, shortened season, if the current losing trend continues.  This is a mess of epic proportion and Keith Smart, as long as he is head coach, must figure out a way to tame the young talent that is in front of him.

Smart is doing his best.  He has made a point to try and build a family both inside and outside the locker room.  He takes players to dinner and promotes that they do the same with each other.  When a Kings player hits the floor, teammates now rush to help him up in a show of solidarity.  It’s forced, but it’s a start.

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The Sacramento Kings walked into the Motor City Friday trying to snap a three-game losing streak.  However the Detroit Pistons, who trailed most of the game, hung around and after a late third quarter surge, pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 114-108 victory.

Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey scored 36 points on 12-for-20 shooting , while his rookie backcourt mate, Brandon Knight added 23 points and dished out a career high 10 assists.  Tayshaun Prince had a strong night as well, scoring 22 points, grabbing a team-high ten rebounds and handing out five assists.

DeMarcus Cousins shook off lower back spasms and pinned 26 points and 15 rebounds on fellow second year big man Greg Monroe.  Rookie Isaiah Thomas got the start tonight at point guard for coach Keith Smart,  who was trying to shake things up a little bit for the struggling Kings.  Thomas responded early with a strong first quarter, but played only sparingly the rest of the way.  Marcus Thornton scored 24 points in the loss for the Kings, who fell to ten games under .500 for the first time this season.

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A capacity crowd packed Madison Square Garden to watch second-year phenom Jeremy Lin.  And the Sacramento Kings themselves became spectators in a 100-85 laugher against the New York Knicks.  In victory, the Harvard grad carved the Kings like a Thanksgiving turkey and extended Knicks win streak to seven straight.

Lin finished with only 10 points, but dished out 13 assists, many of which resulted in open dunks.  Landry Fields scored a team high 15 points for a well-balanced Knicks attack that saw seven players finish in double figures.

Sacramento was paced by 19 points and five assists from Tyreke Evans.  The Kings have now lost three in a row after their emotional victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder last week and fall to 10-19 on the season.

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Updated: 1:33 pm PST

Photo: Steven Chea

How much will the Sacramento Kings and NBA pay in the effort to construct a new arena in California’s capital city?

Although exact figures are yet to be established, a source has shared with Cowbell Kingdom that the city is looking for roughly $80 million from the league and team.

Not over time, but in advance.

When reached via e-mail for clarification on this figure, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league would not comment at this time.

On this week’s Cowbell Kingdom podcast, Think Big Sacramento project manager Jeremiah Jackson shed some light on the commitment the city wants from the NBA and Maloofs.

“We’re talking about an upfront lease payment,” said Jackson on Monday. “So it’d essentially be, they’d pay upfront for the rights to be the tenant for that 30-year period.”

This means that the price tag of paying in advance to be the arena’s anchor tenant would cost the NBA and Maloofs less than $3 million a year.

Where does the $80 million figure come from?

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With time expiring, Sacramento Kings forward Donté Greene let fly a potential game-winning three.  Unfortunately for Greene and company, the long-ball rimmed out and the Minnesota Timberwolves escaped with a two point win at home, 86-84.

Marcus Thornton led the Kings in scoring with 22 points, but it was Jimmer Fredette who nearly saved the day.

Recently, the rookie guard has played sparingly.  But Fredette came out in the fourth quarter scorching hot tonight.  He scored 13 points, including three straight three-point shots.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Kings went on to lose in dramatic fashion.

Nikola Pekovic filled in nicely for the suspended Kevin Love.  The Timberwolves big man gave the Kings fits all night, scoring a game-high 23 points while grabbing 10 rebounds.

Rookie sensation Ricky Rubio didn’t disappoint either, dishing out 14 assists and registering five steals for the Timberwolves, who are now 13-12.

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The Sacramento Kings trailed by as many as 18 tonight, but still rallied on the road to win 100-92 over the New Orleans Hornets.

DeMarcus Cousins dominated the Hornets frontline, barely missing his second straight 20 point, 20 rebound game.  The 21-year-old center scored a game-high 28 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked three shots for the Kings.

Rookie Isaiah Thomas was a game changer, scoring 17 points, including a 29-foot three-pointer that put his team up by six late in the fourth quarter.  He also chipped in six assists and five rebounds in just over 26 minutes of action.

The Hornets gave a valiant effort in the loss.  Greivis Vasquez led the way with 20 points and added nine assists while backcourt-mate Marco Belinelli tossed in 18 for the Hornets, who fall to 4-21.

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The Sacramento Kings took plenty of grief for the draft day trade that brought John Salmons back to the capital city.  While Salmons appeared to be a solid addition at a position of weakness, he has been anything but so far this season.

Until Thursday night.

Facing one of his toughest match-ups in the uber-athletic Gerald Wallace, Salmons came to play.  After averaging just seven points through the Kings first 21 contests, Salmons came alive, setting new season highs in both points with 19 and rebounds with eight.

“I have confidence in him, ” Head Coach Keith Smart said in his postgame comments Thursday night.  “ I believe in him and I know what he’s doing.  I know he’s putting the work in and he’s working at his game.  He’s a proud pro, so he’s going to work.”

Salmons is a humble, quiet professional who sets an example for his young teammates, dating back to the first day of training camp.  Unfortunately, he has struggled this season.  With the exception of missing a game due to illness, Salmons has started in every appearance, but scored double figures only five times and just once in the team’s last 12 contests.

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