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 Fellow Hornets guard Jeremy Lin, controlling the ball, angled around
the forward's pick and saw Daniels spotting up atop the 3-point arc.
The pass came Daniels' way, and the third-year guard had one
thought.
"Go for the win," he said.
Daniels let the ball fly, and it went straight and true from 28
feet, ripping through the net with nine seconds left and lifting the
Hornets over the Sacramento Kings and DeMarcus Cousins 129-128 in
two overtimes Monday at Sleep Train Arena.
"I knew the guys were tired, that we were down to seven players,"
Daniels said after capping a career-best, 28-point night that saw
him can eight of 11 from beyond the arc. "So we knew that was the
moment."
The Hornets (22-23) overcame Cousins' career-high 56 points to win
their third consecutive contest. They also set a franchise record by
making 20 3-pointers, 15 of them in the second half, and ended
Sacramento's season-high, five-game winning streak. The Kings have
not won six straight since January 2005.
Center Spencer Hawes made four of the 3-pointers for Charlotte and
finished with 18 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets also lost forward Marvin Williams (21 points) and
forward Tyler Hansbrough to fouls and had just seven healthy players
at the end.
They also were outscored 74-30 inside the paint and outrebounded
56-36, but they still beat the Kings in overtime for the second time
this season. Sacramento is 0-3 in overtimes this season and has lost
twice in double overtime.
"Very special win," said Lin, who had 20 points and 11 assists. "I
don't know how we won that one."
Charlotte missed 13 consecutive shots and made just one field goal
over the final 10 minutes of the first quarter, and the Kings
outscored the Hornets 29-9 to take a 31-16 lead into the second
quarter.
However, Charlotte overcame that by making 23 of 43 shots in the
second half, including 13 of 18 from 3-point range.
The Hornets also survived Cousins' heroics.
The sixth-year Kings center made 21 of 30 shots from the field two
nights after establishing his previous best with 48 points against
the Indiana Pacers. He also grabbed 12 rebounds in the first
50-point night of his career.
Cousins tallied all nine of the Kings' points in the first overtime
before fouling out on a questionable call while putting back a
rebound with 3:29 left in the second overtime.
"I'm thinking of a lot of the plays that could've changed the game,"
he said, "but we left it all on the floor. You hate to lose a game
like that."
Cousins knocked down two free throws with 25 seconds left in the
first overtime to forge a 124-124 tie, and Sacramento rookie center
Willie Cauley-Stein kept it there by blocking guard Kemba Walker's
driving layup with 1.6 seconds left.
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"He's a beast," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said of Cousins. "We
tried to double him. We tried to get the ball out of his hands. We
tried everything."
Cousins' two free throws put Sacramento ahead 116-115 with 5.1
seconds left in regulation. However, Cauley-Stein subsequently
fouled Walker on a drive to the basket, and Walker made one of two
free throws to force overtime.
Cousins scored at least 30 points for the eighth time in his past 11
games and recorded his 11th straight double-double, a stretch in
which he is averaging 37.1 points and 14.0 rebounds per game.
"I don't really care," he said. "I'm trying to get wins."
Walker finished with 24 points and eight assists.
"The guys just fought really hard," Clifford said.
Kings guard Rajon Rondo failed to record his third consecutive
triple-double, but his 20 assists gave him 12 straight games with at
least 10, an ongoing Sacramento record. Rondo also recorded his 30th
game with at least 10 assists this season, tying Reggie Theus'
1986-87 team mark for the second most in one season.
Rondo added seven points and 10 rebounds.
Sacramento forward Rudy Gay scored 20 points before leaving because
of a scratch on his left eye in the second overtime. His status for
Sacramento's game Tuesday at Portland is questionable.
NOTES: Kings C DeMarcus Cousins and Hornets G Kemba Walker were
selected the players of the week for their respective conferences.
Cousins averaged 36 points and 14.7 rebounds in three Sacramento
victories, the best three-game stretch for the franchise since Oscar
Robertson averaged 36.3 points and 14.7 rebounds with the Cincinnati
Royals in 1961-62. Walker averaged 34.8 points, six assists and six
rebounds over four games. ... The Hornets played without F/G Nicolas
Batum (toe) and C Cody Zeller (strained right shoulder), each of
whom have missed three straight contests. Batum may return for
Wednesday's contest at Utah, but Zeller is not expected back until
early February. ... Cousins played his 26th consecutive game, his
longest stretch of being on the floor since the 2012-13 season. He
played in only 54 of Sacramento's previous 82 contests before the
streak.
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