SACRAMENTO, April 27 (UPI) -- A 23-point, 19-rebound effort by DeMarcus Cousins Thursday lifted the Sacramento Kings to a 113-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
With Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol both sitting out the contest in preparation for the playoffs, and Metta World Peace serving the first game of a seven-game suspension, the Lakers fell in the Kings 21st victory of the season. On the last night of the regular season Sacramento climbed out of a tie for last place in the Western Conference.
The Lakers finished the regular campaign as the No. 3 seed in the West and will host Game 1 of their playoff series against Denver Sunday.
Tyreke Evans added 21 points for the Kings, who shot 51 percent from the field. Sacramento won three of its last six games of the season.
Josh McRoberts started for the Lakers, played 38 minutes and led LA with 16 points.
By not playing in the season finale, Bryant lost a chance to pass Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and win the NBA's scoring title.
Durant, whose season ended Wednesday, had a 28.0-point average. Bryant finished at 27.9. Durant became the seventh player in NBA history to win three scoring crowns in a row.
