SACRAMENTO -- It took all 48 minutes plus another 10, but the streak is over. After winning five straight, the Sacramento Kings allowed the Charlotte Hornets to catch fire from the outside. Eventually it burned them when Troy Daniels dropped in his eighth 3-ball of the night to give the Hornets a wild 129-128 double overtime victory.
DeMarcus Cousins once again put the Sacramento Kings on his back and carried them as far as he could. In front of a wild Sleep Train Arena crowd, Boogie dropped 56 on the Hornets, but he fouled out in the second overtime session.
Cousins set a new Sacramento-era record for points scored in a game, torching Charlotte’s frontline. He added 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in a performance for the ages. Cousins has now scored an incredible 104 points over his last two games.
Rudy Gay returned to action after missing the previous two with a heel injury. The veteran forward went to work early, scoring 12 of his 20 points in the first quarter. He added nine rebounds as the Kings improved to 21-23 on the season.
Darren Collison and Omri Casspi anchored the bench unit for Sacramento. Collison put up 15 points and six assists, but couldn’t connect on a last second game winner. Casspi kicked in 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Rajon Rondo continues to crush the Kings record books for assists. For the 12th-straight game, Rondo handed out double-digits in assists, finishing with seven points, 20 assists and 10 rebounds.
But Daniels' play was the story. The seldom-used reserve couldn’t miss from the perimeter, scoring 28 points on 8-of-11 from 3-point range. His late strike from well beyond the arc was the dagger.
With leading scorer Kemba Walker struggling to find his shot, Marvin Williams stepped up to the challenge. The former second overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft put up 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
Walker eventually found a way to score, posting 24 points on 5-of-25 shooting and 13-for 15 from the line. His missed free throw with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation sent the game to its first overtime.
Jeremy Lin put pressure on the Kings defense all night, finishing with 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Former Kings big man Spencer Hawes heard boos every time he touched the ball, but that didn’t stop him from scoring 18 points on 4-of-5 from deep in 29 minutes before fouling out.
STANDOUT PERFORMER
Regardless of the final outcome, Cousins was a star. He backed up his 48-point outburst on Saturday with a huge 56-point performance against the Hornets. The Kings fed the big fella and he answered in an incredible way.
TURNING POINTS
With .6 seconds remaining in the fourth, Walker stepped to the line with a chance to win it. He hit the first to tie it, but bricked the second to send it to overtime.
With 1.9 remaining in overtime, rookie Willie Cauley-Stein blocked Walker’s take to the hoop. Both teams had a chance to win it in the final two seconds and both came up empty.
With nine seconds remaining in double-OT, Daniels drilled his eighth triple of the night, giving the Hornets a one-point advantage. It proved to be the game-winner.
INJURY UPDATE
Gay returned to action after missing the previous two with a heel issue, but he took a finger to the eye in the second overtime and his eye was already showing major signs of swelling. Eric Moreland (foot surgery) and Duje Dukan (lower leg) are out indefinitely.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Kings travel to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers Tuesday in the second night of a back-to-back.
