SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Rudy Gay walked off the court to a standing ovation in the final minutes, receiving high-fives from coaches and teammates on the bench -- and a hug from DeMarcus Cousins. Nobody might be more thankful than Sacramentos centre for the added help. Gay scored 26 points in his first home game since coming over in a trade from Toronto, leading the Kings past the Houston Rockets 106-91 on Sunday night. "It makes the game so much easier," Cousins said. "Its not such a heavy load on me and Isaiah (Thomas) every night, just having another go-to guy." With Gay leading the way, Sacramento outshot Houston 48.1 to 41.3 per cent and finally showed some signs of defence. Cousins collected 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Thomas had 19 points and eight assists to help Sacramento hold on to the lead for most of the final 35 minutes. Gay added five rebounds and four assists. He finished 10 for 20 from the field in a dazzling home debut for the Kings, who had lost eight of their past 10 games. "The basketball is going to be in my hands a lot," Gay said, "so Im just trying to keep everybody comfortable and keep everybody happy." James Harden sprained his left ankle early in the third quarter and finished with 25 points, and Dwight Howard had 13 points and 10 rebounds while battling foul trouble in a disappointing end to Houstons quick three-game road trip. The Rockets lost at Portland on Thursday and won at Golden State on Friday. Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson filled in for Kevin McHale all three games following the death of McHales mother. Guard Jeremy Lin sat out with back spasms and forward Terrence Jones had two points and five assists while playing just 15 minutes because of flu-like symptoms. Its unclear whether Harden or Lin will be able to play Wednesday against Chicago in Houston. "Its very, very painful," Harden said of his ankle. "I am trying to get through this, stay positive and focus on getting back." Sacramentos newest attraction seized the opportunity. Gay, who came over in a seven-player trade from Toronto last week, had 24 points in the loss at Phoenix on Friday. He started quickly in his first game at home for Sacramento, scoring 14 points in the first quarter, including a series of scintillating drives and dunks that brought most of the announced crowd of 15,606 roaring to their feet. "It makes my job easier on offence. Thats for sure," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "Hes so skilled. Hes so talented. He makes it look so easy out there. He can score in so many ways." As Houstons mistakes piled up, Sacramento surged ahead. The Kings took advantage of 11 turnovers by the Rockets in the first half to go ahead 48-38 late in the second quarter. Houston had six turnovers in the second half. Sacramento didnt exactly play a clean game, either. The Kings finished with 16 turnovers. "We still had opportunities to win," Howard said. "But we didnt capitalize on them." Harden gave the Rockets a bigger scare when he twisted his ankle stepping on Ben McLemores foot while driving through traffic early in the third quarter. Harden lay on the hardwood for a couple minutes, but stayed in the game to make both free throws -- lifting his left foot in the air while shooting -- before limping to the locker room. Harden returned later in the quarter, and appeared slightly hampered. The Rockets also struggled to regroup, especially with Howard on the bench in foul trouble. Sampson admitted he "probably should not have put" Harden back in the game. But he was more frustrated with Houstons effort from the start. "I didnt think we were ready to play," Sampson said. "I didnt think it was a good effort. We are letting too many of these type of games slip away." NOTES: Kings G Marcus Thornton did not play in the first half. He had two points in nearly 7 minutes in the second half. ... Houston had won five of its previous six games at Sacramento. ... Rockets big man Omer Asik, who has been the subject of trade rumours, missed his sixth straight game with what the team has called a bruised right thigh. Andrew Ference Oilers Jersey . - Mike Zimmer has brought a demanding style to the Minnesota Vikings. Jari Kurri Jersey .Y. - Major League Soccers independent review panel has taken back the fine and one-game suspension it placed on Toronto FC forward Luke Moore earlier this week. http://www.hockeyoilersshop.com/jari-kurri-jersey/. -- Houstons All-Star tandem of James Harden and Dwight Howard refused to let the Rockets give in to fatigue. Matt Benning Jersey . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted that its believed the Flames are working towards a new contract with the defenceman. Milan Lucic Oilers Jersey .500 were once common achievements for the Dallas Mavericks. Now, both are season highs as Dallas slowly works its way back into playoff contention in the Western Conference.Twenty-two players from the Canadian Hockey League have been invited to Canadas mens under-18 training camp. The players will be competing for spots on Team Canada at the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Tournament, opening on April 17 in Lapeenranta and Imatra, Finland. The roster includes nine players who helped lead Canada to gold at the mens Summer Under-18 Team in 2013. Those players include Sam Bennett, ranked as the third-best prospect eligible for the upcoming NHL draft by Craig Button, and Haydn Fleury, ranked tenth on Craigs List. Bennett, however, is currently listed as one of three players injured and unable to attend training camp in Toronto. Buttons sixth-ranked prospect, Brendan Perlini, is also on the training camp roster. In total, the training camp roster features eight players from Western Hoockey League, eight from the Ontario Hockey League and six from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.dddddddddddd Canada is the defending champion at the Under-18 tournament and has won gold three times in total. This years team will be coached by Kevin Dineen, after his recent stint as coach of Canadas womens hockey team, who won gold at Sochi 2014. The team currently features three goaltenders, six defencemen and 13 forwards on the training camp roster. However, players who are eliminated from the CHL playoffs will be added to the roster at a later date. Canada will play two pre-tournament games against Finland on April 11 and against Denmark on April 14. The teams first tournament game takes place on April 17 against Sweden, and watch Canada take on Russia on TSN on April 22. ' ' '