Kings 108, Pacers 106
INDIANAPOLIS -- Center DeMarcus Cousins sank two free throws with 1:05 remaining, and the Sacramento Kings defeated the Indiana Pacers 108-106 on Wednesday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
A Monta Ellis 3-pointer with 2:05 remaining had given Indiana a 106-104 lead after trailing by 15 at halftime, but a Rudy Gay jumper with 1:31 left tied it at 106, and the Kings (12-17) won it when Cousins made two free throws, and then Indiana's Paul George missed a potential game-tying shot with one second remaining.
Indiana now is 10-4 at home losing to four Western Conference opponents -- Memphis, Utah, Golden State and now Sacramento.
DeMarcus Cousins had 25 and 16 rebounds, and former Pacer Darren Collison added 24. Ellis led Indiana with 21 points. The Pacers (16-12) have lost three in a row.
A 3-pointer and a layup from Omri Casspi pushed the Kings' lead to 95-88 with 8:22 to play, prompting a Pacers' timeout. A Casspi dunk with 7:25 remaining gave Sacramento a 97-88 lead.
Indiana outscored Sacramento 33-20 in the third period to pull within 84-82 with 12 minutes remaining. George had seven points and five rebounds in the third quarter.
The Pacers scored the third quarter's first seven points, slicing the deficit to 64-56. Indiana used 3-pointers from George Hill and C.J. Miles to close within 71-70 at the 7:24 mark, outscoring the Kings 21-7 in the first 4:36 of the period.
After Indiana grabbed a seven-point, first-quarter lead, Sacramento dominated the remainder of the first half, seizing a 64-49 advantage through 24 minutes.
Cousins had 18 points and 12 rebounds during the first two quarters, Collison had 15 points and two assists and Rajon Rondo had 11 points and 10 assists. The Kings shot 50.9 percent from the field (27 of 53) and out rebounded Indiana, 31-19.
Sacramento scored 44 points in the paint before halftime, dominated in fast break points (17-7) and enjoyed an 11-4 advantage in second-chance points.
George Hill had a 12-point first half for Indiana, and Miles added nine before intermission for a Pacers team that shot only 39.1 percent (18 of 46) in the first two quarters.
NOTES: The Kings played without C Willie Cauley-Stein (dislocated right index finger) and F Eric Moreland (fractured left foot). ... The Pacers were without C/F Myles Turner (fractured left thumb). ... Sacramento entered with a 3-10 road record. ... Indiana came in 10-3 at home. ... The Pacers were coming off a 106-92 loss on Monday night at San Antonio, their fifth straight road defeat. ... The Kings are the NBA's third-highest scoring team at 104.4 points per game. ... Sacramento ranks fifth in assists per game at 24.3. ... The Pacers rank fourth in 3-point shooting (37.3 percent). ... Sacramento won each of last season's meetings with Indiana, including 99-94 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... The teams meet again on Jan. 23 in Sacramento. ... Indiana was 12-4 when scoring 100 points or more and 3-8 when the opponent scores at least 100.