SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers were expected to take little time settling into the bottom portion of the Western Conference standings this season.Instead, theyve spent the campaigns first two weeks stubbornly rebuking that conventional wisdom.Not that they seem all that pleased with themselves heading into the first meeting at the new Golden 1 Center Thursday night.We can get better, Kings C DeMarcus Cousins told reporters after Sacramentos 102-94 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. We had some letups that you cant have.Cousins comments came on the heels of Sacramentos second straight victory. A third consecutive win would put the Kings (4-5) at .500 after 10 games, the second time in three seasons they will have had such an encouraging start. That 2014-15 campaign featured a 9-5 burst from the gate before things fell apart, a path these Kings are trying to avoid.Without more consistent intensity and defensive execution, they will struggle to do so, coaches and players said.I kept getting ticked off about all the shots they were making, Kings coach Dave Joerger said after watching the Pelicans make 49 percent of their shots from the field in the second half, including 10 of 20 in the third quarter. But I kept looking up, and the score was never getting away from us. Ninety-six possessions. Thats not a slow-paced game.Sacramentos defense has been sneaky good at times but it also has gone missing too.The Kings have held three opponents under 100 points and won all three times. But they have surrendered an average of 107.0 points in their five losses. In all, theyve allowed an average of 101.4 points in their first nine contests, down from a league-worst 109.1 per game last season and 13th among the leagues 30 teams.Its not something that you can just come out and do, Cousins said. It takes a lot of energy, but it also takes a mindset and a focus. We have to more consistent that way.Lakers coach Luke Walton has conveyed a similar message about his team. Fresh off the worst three seasons in franchise history, Los Angeles proved a surprise in the first two weeks, putting together a three-game winning streak and showing off an offense that is tied for fifth in scoring (108.6 points per game). A win against the Kings will give the Lakers four wins in a five-game stretch for the first time since November 2013.But Walton, the first-year coach who won two championships with the Lakers as a player, doesnt seem to be focused on wins and losses, so much as he is his teams growth.If we lose three in a row, all the stories will be the same, about a young team thats trying to figure it out, Walton told the Los Angeles Daily News. Ive said it from the beginning: We try not to get caught up in all that, not worry about that. Just focus on what we do as a group.So far, the group has looked to one another to score. DAngelo Russell, Lou Williams, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Nick Young all are averaging at least 14 points per game. Williams, Luol Deng and Russell are also making at least 34 percent of their 3-pointers.Cousins is averaging 25.5 points and has led Sacramento in scoring in seven of its nine games. 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TAMPA, Fla. -- Even with a strong-armed quarterback in Jameis Winston and impressive young receiver in Mike Evans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers know they need a consistent running attack.With two-time Pro Bowl running back Doug Martin sidelined with a hamstring injury the past month, the Bucs were unable to establish much of one until Monday night, when Jacquizz Rodgers made his first start of the season in a 17-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers.Rodgers rushed for 101 yards on 30 carries -- both career highs -- as the Bucs ran the ball more times (37) than Winston threw (30) for the first time this season.Any time you have a balanced offense, its huge, offensive tackle Donovan Smith said. To see (Rodgers) carry the ball 30 times, it was huge. It was fun for us also up at the line to be able to just mash the guys in front of us.Coach Dirk Koetter said the opening series of the game set the tone for what the team was going to accomplish.The Bucs (2-3) drove from their own 25-yard line to Carolinas 17 before Roberto Aguayo kicked the first of his three field goals. They ran the ball 10 times during the 14-play drive that lasted more eight minutes, including six straight running plays to begin the game.We were missing two Pro Bowl players in Gerald (McCoy) and Doug, missing thhree of our four defensive linemen, missing our (top) two running backs, missing one of our best tight ends.dddddddddddd We really felt we needed to run the ball, control the clock (and) try not to put our defense in bad position, Koetter said.To have a 14-play drive to start the game was huge, the coach added. Hopefully in the future we can end it with a touchdown and not a field goal. But to go down and get the lead and then give our defense a chance to play (was big).Now, the Bucs have six of the next seven days off. When they return from their bye week to prepare for an Oct. 23 road game against the San Francisco 49ers, Koetter hopes to have several injured players back on the practice field.Tampa Bay trails first-place Atlanta by two games in the NFC South, but owns road victories over the Falcons and Panthers for a 2-0 start in division play.Were a team with a lot of talent, Smith said. I think were right where we need to be looking at the division. Its the bye week, were going to be getting guys back healthy, and weve got a great situation coming off the win. ... Its great.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '