Kings lose Gay to injury while falling to Pacers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Paul George scored 24 points, Jeff Teague added 22, and the Indiana Pacers overcame a sloppy first half and a 22-point deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 106-100 at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday.
The loss became extra costly for the Kings when forward Rudy Gay went down late in the third quarter with what was believed to be a torn left Achilles tendon. An MRI exam scheduled for Thursday is expected to confirm the diagnosis.
Al Jefferson contributed a season-high 20 points, and the Pacers won for the seventh time in eight games but for only the sixth time in 20 tries on the road.
Indiana (22-19) trailed 60-38 with 13 seconds left in the second quarter and 60-41 at halftime but turned it around by making 22 of 34 shots (64.7 percent) from the field in the second half.
Sacramento converted just 12 of 25 shots (48 percent) and committed 10 turnovers after halftime in losing for the first time in five meetings against Indiana. The Kings lost six of seven during their longest homestand of the season and now play eight straight on the road.
DeMarcus Cousins recorded his first triple-double of the season with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. However, he scored only six in the second half while missing all eight of his shots from the field, and he finished the night with nine turnovers.
The Pacers took the lead for the first time since early in the first quarter when Myles Turner made two free throws with 1:56 left for a 99-98 advantage. Cousins committed his sixth and final second-half turnover on Sacramento's next possession, and George's jumper made it 101-98. A Turner dunk with 17 seconds left increased the margin to 104-99. George made two free throws with 6.2 seconds left to close the scoring.
Indiana coach Nate McMillan earned his 500th career victory.
Gay's injury is likely to end his season. Teammates and trainers helped Gay off the court after he tried to drive the baseline and went down in a heap, losing the ball with 14.3 seconds left in the third quarter and the Kings ahead 79-69.
He finished with 21 points.
NOTES: Kings reserve G Ty Lawson missed the game because of a left ankle sprain sustained late in Sacramento's loss to Oklahoma City on Sunday. Reserve F Omri Casspi also sat out with a strained tendon in a calf. Lawson might be back to start the road trip, but Casspi could be out as long as two weeks, the team said. ... The Pacers are in the middle of a five-game stretch, four of them on the road, that will see them cover 10,716 miles before they touch down at home Monday. ... The Kings' eight-game road trip will be their longest since an eight-game run late in the 2014-15 season. They were supposed to play seven games originally, but Sacramento's Jan. 30 game in Philadelphia will be a makeup for the Nov. 30 game that was postponed because of condensation on the floor. ... The Pacers hit the halfway point on pace to average 100 points for the first time since the 2009-10 season.