Rudy Gay scored 23 points, Sam Young added 20 and the Memphis
Grizzlies beat the Sacramento Kings 113-96 on Tuesday night.

O.J. Mayo had 16 points, and Mike Conley _ returning from an
ankle injury _ and Marc Gasol scored 14 points each. Tony Allen
added 10 points. Gasol also had 15 rebounds as Memphis outrebounded
Sacramento 49-41. Tony Allen had 10 points.

With Memphis holding a double-digit lead for a bulk of the
second half, the Kings’ reserves got extended minutes. Jimmer
Fredette scored 17 points and fellow rookie Isaiah Thomas had 15 to
lead Sacramento.

J.J. Hickson was the only Kings starter to reach double figures,
scoring 12 points. Travis Outlaw added 11.

Memphis finished 55 percent from the field, led by Gasol at 7
for 10 and Gay at 10 for 16. The Kings shot 41 percent.

DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench, as expected, after missing
Sunday’s game against New Orleans when coach Paul Westphal told him
to stay away from the team. Cousins finished with four points on
1-for-5 shooting in 22 minutes.

The Kings were down 17 points early and rallied to tie the score
at 50-all in the final minute. However, Gay’s tip at the buzzer
gave the Grizzlies a two-point lead at the break.

Gay scored 15 points in the first half, and no Kings player was
in double digits. Both teams committed eight turnovers, but the
Kings shot 12 for 18 in the second quarter to get back into the
game.

Memphis then had a 9-0 run in the early minutes of the third
quarter and the Kings never threatened the rest of the way.

The Grizzlies got their offense back on track, scoring off
turnovers and getting out on the break. They also started
controlling the boards as they extended the lead to 23 late in the
third quarter.

Memphis outscored Sacramento 35-18 in the period and led 87-68
going into the fourth.

NOTES: Before the game, Westphal said of the Cousins situation,
“I wouldn’t say it’s resolved. We will see how it plays out. I
think DeMarcus has to continue to show maturity and a desire to go
the same direction as his teammates. We’re all hoping that
happens.” . Conley returned after missing two games with a sprained
left ankle he injured in the second game of the season. .The Kings
were playing the opener of their only stretch of three games in
three days during the compressed season. It was also the third of
five games in six nights. .During the game, it was announced that
Gene Bartow, who served as president of Hoops LLC, the parent
company of FedExForum and the Grizzlies, and a Hall of Fame college
coach, passed away after a long battle with cancer.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Rudy Gay scored 23 points, Sam Young added 20 and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Sacramento Kings 113-96 on Tuesday night.

O.J. Mayo had 16 points, and Mike Conley _ returning from an ankle injury _ and Marc Gasol scored 14 points each. Tony Allen added 10 points. Gasol also had 15 rebounds as Memphis outrebounded Sacramento 49-41. Tony Allen had 10 points.

With Memphis holding a double-digit lead for a bulk of the second half, the Kings’ reserves got extended minutes. Jimmer Fredette scored 17 points and fellow rookie Isaiah Thomas had 15 to lead Sacramento.

J.J. Hickson was the only Kings starter to reach double figures, scoring 12 points. Travis Outlaw added 11.

Memphis finished 55 percent from the field, led by Gasol at 7 for 10 and Gay at 10 for 16. The Kings shot 41 percent.

DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench, as expected, after missing Sunday’s game against New Orleans when coach Paul Westphal told him to stay away from the team. Cousins finished with four points on 1-for-5 shooting in 22 minutes.

The Kings were down 17 points early and rallied to tie the score at 50-all in the final minute. However, Gay’s tip at the buzzer gave the Grizzlies a two-point lead at the break.

Gay scored 15 points in the first half, and no Kings player was in double digits. Both teams committed eight turnovers, but the Kings shot 12 for 18 in the second quarter to get back into the game.

Memphis then had a 9-0 run in the early minutes of the third quarter and the Kings never threatened the rest of the way.

The Grizzlies got their offense back on track, scoring off turnovers and getting out on the break. They also started controlling the boards as they extended the lead to 23 late in the third quarter.

Memphis outscored Sacramento 35-18 in the period and led 87-68 going into the fourth.

NOTES: Before the game, Westphal said of the Cousins situation, “I wouldn’t say it’s resolved. We will see how it plays out. I think DeMarcus has to continue to show maturity and a desire to go the same direction as his teammates. We’re all hoping that happens.” . Conley returned after missing two games with a sprained left ankle he injured in the second game of the season. .The Kings were playing the opener of their only stretch of three games in three days during the compressed season. It was also the third of five games in six nights. .During the game, it was announced that Gene Bartow, who served as president of Hoops LLC, the parent company of FedExForum and the Grizzlies, and a Hall of Fame college coach, passed away after a long battle with cancer.

(Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The Sacramento Kings have sent two of their young players to the Reno Bighorns, their developmental league team. The team announced that rookie small forward Tyler Honeycutt and second year center Hassan Whiteside would leave Sacramento and join the D-League affiliate.

Both players were drafted in the second round of the NBA draft and were chosen as developmental players. Now they’re getting the opportunity to do just that, develop their game and get the playing time they need to do so. This will be a good move for each player because they should learn more from actual game experience than sitting on the bench and watching.

Whiteside is a seven-foot center who is in his second season and has seen very little playing time with Sacramento. I was hoping that Whiteside had developed enough in the offseason to be able to contribute minutes off the bench this year. Sacramento has just four big men on the roster and recently sent home center DeMarcus Cousins after asking for a trade. Sending Whiteside to the D-League must indicate that the situation with Cousins isn’t serious and he will return soon. Sadly, it also indicates that Whiteside hasn’t improved and is not ready to contribute at the NBA level.

Honeycutt is only five games into his rookie season and was Sacramento’s first of two second round draft choices in the 2011 draft. The other player, point guard Isaiah Thomas, is on the roster and seeing playing time. The biggest difference between the two players is that Thomas had much more experience on the collegiate level and is more ready to play right now. Honeycutt is stuck behind John Salmons, Travis Outlaw, Donte Greene, and Francisco Garcia at his position. This means it is very unlikely he will see playing time this season unless Sacramento is blowing out an opponent or getting blown out.

Fans shouldn’t look too much into players being assigned to the D-League. This will give each player an opportunity to receive more playing time and try to improve their game. Hopefully it helps the team longterm and each player benefits from their time in Reno.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a lifelong fan of the Sacramento Kings. He started going to Kings games at age six and has attended hundreds of games since. Follow him on twitter @kyler11.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Stats that stand out from the New Orleans Hornets’ 96-80 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.

1. 15. Hornets’ 3-point attempts.

2. 0. Hornets’ 3-point baskets made, establishing a club record for futility.

3. Plus-19. Hornets rebounding advantage over Kings, 60-41.

4. 11. Turnovers by Hornets starting guards, eight from Jarrett Jack, three from Marco Belinelli.

5. 10. Total turnovers by Kings.

FIRST QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 22, Kings 21

Hornets points in the paint: 14.

Kings points in the paint: eight.

Hornets second chance points: two.

Kings second chance points: two.

Hornets fast-break points: six.

Kings fast-break points: two.

Hornets biggest lead: seven.

Kings biggest lead: two.

Times tied: four

Hornets leading scorer: Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor, six.

Kings leading scorer: Marcus Thornton, Tyreke Evans, seven.

SECOND QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 18, Kings 17.

Hornets points in the paint: 12.

Kings points in the paint: eight.

Hornets second chance points: three.

Kings second chance points: 0.

Hornets’ fast-break points: four.

Kings fast-break points: five.

Hornets biggest lead: four.

Kings biggest lead: one.

Times tied: three.

Hornets leading scorer: Chris Kaman, six.

Kings leading scorer: John Salmons, five.

THIRD QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Kings 30, Hornets 18

Hornets points in the paint: 12.

Kings points in the paint: 12.

Hornets second chance points: two.

Kings second chance points: two.

Hornets fast-break points: two.

Kings fast-break points 11.

Hornets biggest lead: four.

Kings biggest lead: 14.

Times tied: one.

Hornets leading scorer: Marco Belinelli, six.

Kings leading scorer: Evans, 13.

FOURTH QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Kings 28, Hornets 20

Hornets points in the paint: 16.

Kings points in the paint: 18.

Hornets second chance points: eight.

Kings second chance points: two.

Hornets fast-break points: 0.

Kings fast-break points: nine.

Hornets biggest lead: 0.

Kings biggest lead: 20.

Times tied: 0.

Hornets leading scorer: Carl Landry, six.

Kings leading scorer: Thornton, seven.