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SACRAMENTO, Calif. - It appears the Sacramento Kings can play well without their controversial leading scorer and rebounder, DeMarcus Cousins. With Cousins not in the arena due for disciplinary reasons, the Kings were an effective, unselfish team. Now the question is whether they can keep it up. Marcus Thornton scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half to help the slumping Kings snap Portlands five-game winning streak with a 108-96 victory over the Trail Blazers on Sunday night. Cousins, who is the starting centre, was suspended indefinitely Saturday for unprofessional behaviour and conduct detrimental to the team. The third-year player and Kings head coach Keith Smart had a confrontation during halftime of Fridays 97-85 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Smart told Cousins to stay in the locker room and not join the team for the second half. Sacramento had six players in double figures and recorded a season-high 31 assists against Portland. The Kings pulled away in the second half, shooting nearly 71 per cent after the break. Using its eighth different starting lineup this season, Sacramento had a season-best 45 field goals. "We were missing DeMarcus, so we had a different lineup out there and it worked out tonight," said James Johnson, who made a rare start at power forward while Jason Thompson moved to centre. "We were a small team tonight so we ran fast and played very unselfish." Both Thornton and Salmons helped spark the second-half surge after both were relative non-factors in the opening half. The pair combined for 31 second-half points, helping the Kings pull away. Thornton made 8 of 11 shots in the second half and finished with four rebounds and four assists. Salmons had 13 of his 15 points in the second half and also added seven rebounds and seven assists. "John is a very unselfish player and can get his own shots," Thornton said. "He got going in the second half. Me and the first half didnt do so well. But I came on at the right time and got hot in the second half." Already ahead by nine points, the Kings opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run, including a 3-pointer by Thornton, to build their lead to 87-71. The Blazers trailed by at least 12 the rest of the way. "I just think it was one of those games where the other team played better than us," Portland rookie guard Damian Lillard said. "There probably were some defensive mistakes we made that we shouldnt have and they took advantage of it." Former Blazer Travis Outlaw had a season-high 15 points and Isaiah Thomas added 11 for the Kings, who had lost six of their previous seven games. Both Thompson and Johnson chipped in 10 points. "Its definitely fun playing against some former teammates," Outlaw said. "I wish I could go out and do it against other teams that well. Everybody got great looks at the rim tonight. We played very unselfish." LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who have lost two of three meetings with the Kings this season. Lillard had 15 points and seven assists, Nicolas Batum scored 17, and JJ Hickson had 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Kings havent said when Cousins will be allowed to rejoin the team again. He was told not to attend the game. Cousins is averaging team bests of 16.6 points and 9.5 rebounds. "There are a few things we need to sit down and talk about," Smart said. "We have a couple of days before our next game and our executive staff will discuss things and go from there." Sacramento also played without starting guard Tyreke Evans, who missed his fourth straight game with a sore left knee. Evans, the Kings second-leading scorer, has missed 8 of the past 12 games. "I thought they played very well without their key players," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "In this league when players are missing for whatever reasons the other players take that as an opportunity to play well." The scoring of Thornton kept the Kings on top in the third quarter. The streak-shooting Thornton had 11 points and Brooks hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, helping Sacramento carry an 80-71 lead into the fourth. Outlaw keyed a second-quarter effort by Sacramentos reserves. He had 13 points and Thomas had eight points and five assists, helping the Kings outscore Portland 28-15 and take a 49-42 lead into halftime. Trailing by 10 early in the second quarter, the Kings responded with a 15-0 run to take a 36-31 lead. Notes: Portland made just 7 of 24 from 3-point range. ... Blazers starting guard Wesley Matthews has a left hip injury and didnt travel with the team. Seldom-used Victor Claver started in the Blazers backcourt. ... Outlaws 13 points in the second quarter was two more than his season high entering the game. He scored 11 points against the Blazers in a Kings victory in Portland on Dec. 8. ... The two teams dont play again until Dec. 26 in Portland. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys From China .J. Edds with season-ending knee injuries. Coach Chuck Pagano says both players have "significant" ACL injuries to their left knees and the team hopes to add two players to the roster soon. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys . The latest one might be the toughest. The Marlins led 6-1 in the eighth inning before Heath Bell coughed up four runs in the ninth to the St. http://jasonhavens.org/cheap.html . There was no looking back. No heartfelt apologies given. No need for a detailed autopsy of Dwyane Wades ugly sideline exchange with coach Eric Spoelstra in Game 3. MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Zach Randolph had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Rudy Gay finished with 21 points and a key basket with 1:03 left, and the Memphis Grizzlies won their fourth straight with a 93-85 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Houston was within 87-85 in the final 2 minutes, but Memphis scored the last five points of the game, including Gays rebound bucket, to win their 13th consecutive regular-season game at home. Mike Conley had 14 points for Memphis, including a 3-pointer down the stretch, and Jerryd Bayless added 12. The Grizzlies are 4-1 for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when they played in Vancouver. Chandler Parsons led the Rockets with 19 points, including 15 in the second half. James Harden had 18 points, but shot only 4 of 18 from the field and 1 of 6 outside the arc. Jeremy Lin had 15 points, while Omer Asik added 10 points and 13 rebounds. The loss was the Rockets first on the road this season. Memphis won despite shooting only 37 per cent from the field. Randolph was 5 of 13 and Marc Gasol (six points) missed nine of his 12 shots. Houston managed 41 per cent from the field but was stymied by 20 turnovers, including 12 in the second half. Memphis, as it did in its home opener against Utah this week, started out misfiring, hitting only three of its first 13 shots. Thhat, along with 12 points from Harden, helped the Rockets carry a 46-42 lead into halftime.dddddddddddd Memphis opened the second half with a 12-2 run to take its largest lead of the game at that point. But the Rockets pulled back even, and Memphis held a 69-68 lead entering the final period. The Rockets were within 76-75 when Memphis turned up the defensive intensity and began forcing turnovers. The pressure contributed to 11 unanswered points, including five from Wayne Ellington and four more from Marreese Speights. When Quincy Pondexter forced another turnover on his fourth steal of the night, it led to a drive from Bayless and Memphis had built its biggest lead at 87-75. But the Rockets had one more push left led by Lins defence and layups. Lin scored seven of nine straight points for Houston and the Rockets were within 87-85 with 2:21 left. Conleys 3-pointer, followed by the rebound basket by Gay, provided enough of a buffer for the Grizzlies. NOTES: Houston has lost four straight in Memphis. ... Harden, who started the season with 37 and 45 points, respectively, has hit only 17 of his 57 shots over the last three games. ... The game featured two of the NBAs top three rebounders in Asik and Randolph. Asik had three offensive boards. Randolph, who leads the league in rebounding, grabbed five on the offensive glass. ' ' '