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 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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