SACRAMENTO – The Sixers' road skid now stands at 16 games after their final play was blown up in a 107-106 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night at Sleep Train Arena.
The Sixers inbounded the ball down by one with 8.2 seconds remaining in the game. Hollis Thompson had the ball snatched from him to seal the defeat.
Jason Richardson did not play. He will play the back end of the Sixers' back-to-back set on Wednesday in Denver.
Robert Covington started in place of Richardson and he shined with a team-high 21 points.
Turning point
With 1:02 left on the clock and the score tied at 105, Nerlens Noel threw a pass over Luc Mbah a Moute's into the stands. It marked the Sixers' 21st turnover of the night.
On the Kings following possession, Rudy Gay scored a layup to break the tie and give him 21 points for the game.
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Covington scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in less than a minute during the middle of the frame to retake the lead.
Covington was 7 of 9 from the floor overall and 5 of 6 from three-point range. However, he did miss a potential game-tying free throw with 39.5 seconds left.
Nerlens Noel was in foul trouble most of the second half. He finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and five personal fouls.
DeMarcus Cousins entered the game fifth in the league in scoring (23.6.) He is third in rebounding (12.2) and his 41 double-doubles ranked second in the NBA.
He scored 33 points and grabbed 17 boards against the Sixers. He made made 17 of 19 free throws in the game while adding four blocks.
Stat-egic
The Sixers were 13 of 28 from three-point range, but they managed to shoot just 13 of 21 at the foul line.
Take a bow
Thomas Robinson scored a career-high 16 points. He also had eight rebounds in 21 minutes.
What's next?
The Sixers play at Denver Wednesday night.
The Sixers beat the Nuggets on Feb. 3 at the Wells Fargo Center, 105-98. They held Denver to 12 second-quarter points and led 61-40 at the half. Hollis Thompson led the Sixers in scoring with 23 points.
Brian Shaw coached the Nuggets at that time. He has since been fired and Melvin Hunt is the interim head coach.
The Nuggets are 5-5 in their last 10 games.