BOSTON -- Al Horford is motivated as it is, but facing one of the best centers in the NBA brought his game to the next level Friday night.

Horford put up his best numbers of the year opposite Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins, scoring a season-high 26 and grabbing eight rebounds in the Boston Celtics' 97-92 win.

"He's a great player, and you just have to make sure that we stay solid on him, make him earn everything he got," Horford said. "Just an All-Star player."

Cousins bested Horford's output in both categories, scoring a game-high 28 points and grabbing nine rebounds, but it was Horford who had the last laugh.

Horford blocked six shots, thrice swatting Cousins -- twice in the first half and again on Cousins' last-ditch 3-point attempt with 5.8 seconds left to seal the game.

"Not let him get a 3, that was the whole thing (at the end)," Horford said. "I know he tried to draw something (a foul) there. I just stayed solid and not let him get a shot off."

Friday's tally marked the most blocks in a game for Horford since he sent away seven shots -- also against the Kings -- on Jan. 17, 2011 with the Atlanta Hawks.

Horford's previous high in points this season since joining the Celtics on a four-year deal worth $113 million last offseason was 20 at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 21.

Isaiah Thomas had 20 points and seven assists, Jae Crowder added 16 points and Avery Bradley contributed 15 points and nine boards for Boston (11-8), which had lost two of three coming in.

"I thought this was going to be a tough game; this is a talented team," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "They've played a lot of really good teams really well, beaten a lot of really good teams already."

Rudy Gay and Darren Collison each added 13 points, with Gay grabbing eight boards, and Matt Barnes chipped in 12 points and 16 rebounds off the bench for Sacramento (7-12).

The Kings fell for the third time in four games.

"We just shot ourselves in the foot," Sacramento coach Dave Joerger said. "We turned the damn thing over (15 turnovers) like I have never seen. We take bad shots sometimes and it just ticks me off, at bad times."

Horford scored 12 of the Celtics' first 26 points, and Boston missed all but two 3-pointers to start the game while building a pair of 13-point leads in the opening period.

After Bradley's jumper put the Celtics up 29-16, the Kings ended the quarter on a 13-0 run to tie it.

The teams combined for seven points in the first 3:23 of the second, and neither side led by more than three in the quarter.

Boston cooled off from downtown after its 4-for-6 start, making three of its next nine 3s to finish 7 of 15 for the half while taking a 47-46 lead into the break.

Cousins scored 10 in the third as the Kings went ahead by as many as five, but only led 72-69 entering the fourth.

Gay's jumper with 11:09 to play put Sacramento up 74-69, but that lead quickly evaporated and the lead changed hands several times down the stretch.

Jonas Jerebko's reverse layup at 7:31 broke a 76 all tie and Boston scored eight unanswered points to pull away. Sacramento came within 95-92 on Cousins' 3 with 39.1 seconds to go.

Thomas came up well short on his potential dagger 3 over Cousins with 15.9 seconds on the clock, giving the Kings a chance to tie it.

Horford's final block on Cousins out of a Sacramento timeout sealed the win.

"I don't really understand how it was a no call, but that's what they went with," said Cousins, who tried to draw a foul on the shot. "I guess it turns out it was a bad decision on my part."

Cousins left the game with 7:08 on the clock after sustaining an apparent cut above his eye. He was treated by a trainer and went to the locker room, but returned with 5:17 remaining.

"I told them to glue (the cut) and we'd deal with it later on," Cousins said.

NOTES: Sacramento played for the first time since Wednesday's game at the Philadelphia 76ers was postponed due to unsafe playing conditions caused by condensation on the court. "We hadn't played (since Monday), so we tried to scrimmage a little bit and keep our timing as much as possible (at practice Thursday)," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. ... Boston PG Isaiah Thomas was picked last (60th overall) in the 2011 draft by the Kings and played his first three seasons in Sacramento, averaging 15.3 points and 4.8 points. "I'm very impressed with what he's become as a player," Joerger said. ... Kings C DeMarcus Cousins is the subject of enduring trade rumors, including ones involving the Celtics. "I'm a King. I'm good," Cousins said Thursday when asked about the rumors. ... Boston visits the 76ers on Saturday and Sacramento is at the New York Knicks on Sunday.