Saturday, December 06, 2014
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Landry's put-back helps Kings edge Pacers

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[December 06, 2014]  SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Thanks to forward Carl Landry's penchant for being at the right place at the right time, the Sacramento Kings snapped a pair of losing streaks on Friday night.

They weren't about to quibble with the fact that they nearly turned what looked like an easy night into a disaster.

"We did have our struggles at the end, but at the end of the day, we were able to get that win," guard Darren Collison said after Landry rebounded forward Rudy Gay's air ball with 0.8 seconds left in overtime and put it back in to lift Sacramento to a 102-101 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Sleep Train Arena. "That's what's important. Great for Carl, too. He deserves it."

Landry finished with 14 points, and was quickest to the ball after Gay misfired from 15 feet. His put-back bailed out the Kings, after they squandered a 17-point second half lead, as well as a 94-86 advantage with 3:08 left in regulation.

"I just told my teammates that me and (teammate, forward) Reggie Evans were going to crash the glass, because I've seen a lot of times that good things can happen," Landry said. "It definitely feels good. We needed this win."

Landry's shot ended Sacramento's four-game losing streak and kept the Kings (10-9) from falling below .500 for the first time this season. It also gave them a victory without center DeMarcus Cousins for the first time in two seasons, snapping a 16-game skid without him.

"I hope this gives us a little bit of confidence," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "Yes, he's a great players and when we have him we're a dangerous team. But we have to find ways to win when anybody gets hurt."

Cousins missed his fourth straight game and will miss at least one more because of a virus that has sidelined him since Nov. 26. Cousins, who watched the game in street clothes, will not play in Saturday's contest against the Orlando Magic.

Indiana guard C.J. Watson scored on a driving layup amid a crowd with 1:02 left in overtime to put the Pacers ahead 102-101, their first lead since early in the first quarter. Indiana erased all but two points of a 15-point deficit in the first half, trailed 85-68 with just over five minutes left in the third, and used a 10-2 run in the final 3:08 to force the extra session.

Forward David West scored 16 points to lead the Pacers, who wound up winless on a four-game road trip. Guard Rodney Stuckey added 14 points, but his desperation 3-pointer from the top of the arc as time expired in overtime failed to draw iron.

"As tough a loss as we've had," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We've won one like that this year, and now we've lost one like that. It's the NBA."

West's strong post-up move from inside the key with 28 seconds left in regulation tied the game 96-96. After Gay missed for the Kings on a shot from the wing in which he appeared to be fouled, West missed from 16 feet at the buzzer to create the extra period.

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Gay scored a game-high 27 points, and Sacramento won for the first time in five games against Indiana. The Kings forward made 10 of 20 shots but missed eight of his final nine, including the one that set up Landry's heroics.

Guard Darren Collison added 20 points, six assists and four steals for Sacramento. Guard Ben McLemore scored 12 points, his eighth straight double-digit scoring performance. Forward Jason Thompson finished with nine points and 10 rebounds but fouled out late, putting Landry on the floor in the final minutes.

Guard Damjan Rudez and forward Luis Scola scored 11 points for Indiana, and guard Solomon Hill added 10.

The Kings helped themselves by outrebounding Indiana 7-2 in overtime, and 49-43 for the contest. The teams are atop the NBA in rebounding advantage.

"It was a heck of a win, and I'm proud of our guys, because we didn't feel sorry for ourselves, and say, 'Oh, here we go again,' " Malone said. "We regrouped, went out and just found a way to win."

NOTES: The Kings hadn't won a game without C DeMarcus Cousins since March 13, 2013. They lost all 11 games without him a season ago and were 0-3 in their first three games without him this season. ... Pacers F David West averaged 20.1 points on 22-for-34 shooting in his 15 previous games in Sacramento, his highest mark in any building. ... Sacramento played the first of four games in five nights, all of them against teams with losing records. The Kings host the Orlando Magic on Saturday and the Utah Jazz on Monday before facing the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday. ... Indiana trotted out its sixth different starting lineup. Seven Pacers have combined to miss 87 games because of injury, and starters F Paul George (catastrophic leg injury) and F George Hill (left knee contusion) haven't played a game this season.

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