LARAMIE -- The good news? It was a career night for former Cowboy Justin James.

The bad? His Sacramento Kings were officially eliminated from playoff contention after a 116-110 loss to Memphis, tying an NBA record of 15 straight years without a postseason appearance.

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James, the second-year pro who played in Laramie from 2015-19, came off the bench Thursday night and netted a personal-best 31 points. His previous career-high was 16. That was James' fifth double-figure scoring night in 70 NBA games.

"I would be lying if I said this doesn't feel different than any other loss," James told USA Today. "Knowing that we're out of the playoffs, it sucks for our fans, it sucks for our city, but we'll be there one day."

 

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Selected with the 40th pick of the second round of the 2019 draft, James is averaging just 3.5 points per game and little more than 8:00 per outing this season. He suited up for 36 games during his rookie season. He will eclipse that number by two this year.

During his senior season at Wyoming, James averaged 22.1 points per game. He added 4.4 assists and nearly nine rebounds. He is the third-leading scorer in UW history with 2,061 points. James is also on the school's Top-10 list in assists with 343. His 706 points during the 2018-19 season is second all time behind only Josh Adams, who poured in 740 in 2015-16.

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