Cavaliers fall to Kings in overtime

Cleveland has lost 6 of last 8 games

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

The criticism quieted. The problems persist.

LeBron James and the NBA champions are a mess right now.

Arron Afflalo dropped a 3-pointer with 17.3 seconds left in overtime as the Sacramento Kings rallied for 116-112 win Wednesday night over the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost for the sixth time in eight games and are dealing with a major distraction after James challenged the team’s commitment to winning and demanded roster changes.

Following the latest troubling loss, James quickly dressed and answered a handful of questions before heading home.

“We gotta get better,” he said. “That’s all.”

James recorded his second straight triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Kevin Love had 21 points and 16 rebounds and Kyrie Irving scored 20, but it wasn’t enough as the Cavs didn’t play with poise down the stretch and missed 17 of 34 free throws.

DeMarcus Cousins had 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who trailed by five with 2:30 in overtime before battling back. Darren Collison added 23 points for Sacramento, which also trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter.

“Never a doubt,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said with a laugh.

Things weren’t so funny down the hall in Cleveland’s locker room. James, who typically takes up to an hour to get showered and dressed, was already packing some belongings and a late-night, take-home meal into a bag when the media was allowed to enter.

James wore a “Klutch Or Nowhere” shirt, a nod to business partner Rich Paul’s sports management group, and a baseball cap for “Uninterrupted,” his sports multimedia site. He wasn’t in a talkative mood after the Cavs let a win slip away on their home floor and fell to 5-7 in January.

Earlier in the day, James met with his teammates, coach Tyronn Lue and general manager David Griffin to discuss the biting remarks he made following a loss on Monday at New Orleans. Griffin was most upset with the superstar’s assertion that the Cavs appeared satisfied with one title.

“It was the most misguided comment that came out of any of this,” Griffin said.

While Griffin said he was pleased with the meeting, James refused to characterize the talk.

“I’m just trying to win ballgames,” James said. “That’s all that matters.”

After Afflalo’s 3, James missed a deep 3-point attempt for the Cavs, who were then forced to foul Cousins. Sacramento’s big man made one of two to put it away.

Sacramento had lost eight of 10 coming in and is on an eight-game road trip. The Kings have won back-to-back games for the first time since winning four in a row in December.

“This is our first complete full game of the season,” Cousins said. “Anybody who stepped on the floor played some type of part in this win. We battled. We took some hits, but we came back on our own. “

UP NEXT

Kings: Continue their eight-game road trip Friday at Indiana.

Cavaliers: Host Brooklyn on Friday before welcoming Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.