PHILADELPHIA -- The Sacramento Kings were keenly aware of the streak. They just didnt feel the need to talk about it. Instead, they went out and played the attacking style their coaches want to see. Rudy Gay scored 27 points, Isaiah Thomas added 20 and the Kings were 40 for 50 from the free throw line on their way to defeating Philadelphia 115-98 Wednesday night to extend the 76ers losing streak to 18 games. "To be honest, we didnt mention it once," Kings coach Michael Malone said of the losing streak. DeMarcus Cousins had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Ben McLemore scored 15 points for the Kings, who snapped a three-game skid. Jason Thompson added 14. "Im from around here so I know about it," Thompson said. "You dont try to put extra pressure on yourself. Obviously, you dont want to lose to any team." The Kings are in the midst of a seven-game, 12-day road trip, their longest of the season. They are 2-3 on the trip. Henry Sims posted career-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds, James Anderson added 17 points and Thaddeus Young had 16 for Philadelphia, which fell to 15-49 in dropping its 14th in a row at home, an ongoing franchise record. "My teammates were just trusting Id make the right decision," said Sims, who was acquired from Cleveland as part of a trade deadline deal for Spencer Hawes. "A couple shots fell for me. Im definitely proud, but Id be more proud of a win. I just try to go out every game and its a new day, a new season. I try not to think about it. I just focus on the next game." Michael Carter-Williams had 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists just two nights after earning his second career triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists at New York. Tony Wroten chipped in with 10 for the Sixers, who havent won since a 95-94 victory at Boston on Jan. 29. "Its not doom and gloom," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "We will have another good day tomorrow." The Sixers held a nine-point advantage in the first quarter before falling behind 58-54 at halftime. After a subpar first half, Cousins showed why he was the fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft. He had 12 points and seven rebounds in the third quarter to help the Kings extend their lead to 90-76. "We played good ball tonight," Cousins said. "We did a pretty decent job defensively. Still made some mistakes tonight, but well take the win. We had some spurts where we let up. I feel we did a lot better than we did in some of the previous games, but we did step forward tonight, so lets just continue to take steps forward and get a little streak going." The Kings didnt allow the Sixers to gain any momentum, making a quick 7-2 run for a 97-78 lead. By then, the crowd had largely dwindled as the Sixers moved closer to tying a franchise mark for most consecutive losses. The 1972-73 Sixers -- who finished 9-73 and still own the fewest wins in an 82-game season -- dropped 20 in a row. The NBA record for consecutive losses belongs to Cleveland, which dropped 26 straight from Dec. 20, 2010, to Feb. 9. 2011. The Sixers remain two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks (13-51) for the worst record in the league. The team with the worst mark will have a 25 per cent chance of garnering the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery. NOTES: Cousins earned his 40th double-double and his sixth in the last seven games. . Gay was 16 for 19 from the free throw line, both career-highs. ... The Kings failed to register one assist in the first quarter and had just six at halftime. . The Sixers announced they had signed reserve F Jarvis Varnado for the remainder of the season. Stitched Jerseys From China . The veteran fighter will be squaring off with Henderson in a five-round lightweight bout as part of another network televised card at the United Center on Saturday night. Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping .Y. -- Sore nose and all, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to help Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 5-3 on Friday night, snapping the Penguins mini-slump and slowing the Sabres late-season surge. http://www.authenticcheapjerseys.net/.C. United to a 4-1 victory over short-handed FC Dallas on Saturday night. Cheap NFL Jerseys Paypal . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. Cheap Jerseys Store . Sharper briefly appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court, where his arraignment was postponed until Feb. 20 at the request of his lawyers. They issued a statement saying he would be exonerated. Prosecutors then filed a motion to increase Sharpers bail to $10 million and outlined details of investigations involving him in Las Vegas, Tempe, Ariz.PINEHURST, N.C. -- Phil Mickelson spent five hours in the stifling heat Tuesday at Pinehurst No. 2 with a lot on his mind. He was trying to sharpen his game, figure out what it will take to finally win a U.S. Open and make enough putts with his claw grip to avoid losing to a pair of players whose combined age is younger than him. This major has a reputation as the toughest test in golf. Its every bit of that for Mickelson. "I really believe that this week is testing a players entire game," Mickelson said. "Because it forces you to make good decisions, to choose the right club off the tee, hit solid iron shots into the green and utilize your short game to save strokes. Its just a wonderful test ... the best test Ive seen to identify the best player." His definition of Pinehurst and its rugged, natural look would seem to require every ounce of concentration. And that could be his biggest challenge. On the golf course, Mickelson is trying to ignore the enormous expectations on him this week. He holds the worst kind of U.S. Open record with six runner-up finishes. He needs this major to complete the career Grand Slam. And hes a sentimental favourite at Pinehurst No. 2, where in 1999 he played the entire week knowing his wife was on the verge of delivering their first child. Payne Stewart made a 15-foot par putt on the final hole to beat him by one shot. Amanda Mickelson was born the next day. Stewart died in a plane crash four months later. "Payne and I had this moment where we talked about fatherhood, but he also talked about winning future U.S. Opens," Mickelson said. "Although I havent won one yet, Im still fighting hard, and this would be a great place to break through and do it. The flip side is that I tend to do well when its least expected. "I dont want to put the pressure on that this is the only week that Ill have a chance," he said. "I think Ill have a number of great opportunities in the future years. But this is certainly as good a chance as Ill have." Off the course, Mickelson has made headlines that threaten his clean image. He was linked two weeks ago to an insider trading investigation involving activist investor Carl Icahn and Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters over some timely trades of Clorox stock three years ago. FBI agents even came to the golf course to try to interview Mickelson. He referred them to his attorney, said he had done "absolutely nothing wrong" and that "Im not going to walk around any other way." It would seem to be a major distractionn for Mickelson.dddddddddddd Even though he hasnt won in nearly a year, and he has dropped to No. 11 in the world ranking, he is the centre of attention in the sand hills of North Carolina -- especially with Tiger Woods still out of the game while recovering from back surgery. Then again, it could be to Mickelsons advantage to be at a place such as Pinehurst. The course doesnt allow anyone to think about anything but the next shot. "We have so many players when they have a lot of stuff swirling around them that use that four or five hours on the golf course as a sanctuary," two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North said. "You can focus sometimes even better, which sound crazy, but its your place where no one can get to you. The phone cant ring. No one can ask you questions about whatever it is. And you get out there and find your little space. And sometimes that creates a situation where a guy can play exceptionally well." The investigation has not been a big topic since Mickelson said repeatedly at the Memorial that he had done nothing wrong, was co-operating and would not talk about it until it was resolved. There were no direct questions at his news conference Tuesday, only veiled references to coping with off-course distractions. Barclays, one of his biggest sponsors, declined to comment on Mickelson. KPMG, another major sponsor, said in a statement, "We have had a very strong relationship with Phil for a number of years, and we fully expect it to continue. We have great respect for him." While Mickelsons U.S. Open record is loaded with disappointment, he sees only opportunity. To have been the runner-up six times -- not to mention other U.S. Opens where he had a chance to win in the final hour -- means he must be doing something right. And he hasnt lost his sense of humour. "I feel as good about my game as I have all year," Mickelson said, pausing before he added, "Thats not staying a lot because I havent played well all year." He also said an analysis of his close calls in the U.S. Open revealed that it rained during the week in five of those second-place finishes. "So Im pulling for rain," he said. As for that other match? Mickelson carried the load as he and Rickie Fowler rallied from 3 down to tie the match, only for 20-year-old Jordan Spieth to make a 20-foot birdie on the 17th, and 21-year-old Justin Thomas to drill a tee shot on the 18th hole to set up a par for the win. Another close call. Its a U.S. Open. Mickelson should be used to that by now. ' ' '
