SACRAMENTO -- With everything on the line, Willie Cauley-Stein came through with a monster putback to snap the Kings three-game losing streak and send the Pacers home with a 111-110 defeat.
Six Pacers scored in double-figures, led by a 27-point outburst from forward Bojan Bogdanovic, but it wasn't enough. Cauley-Stein's basket gave Sacramento a late lead and they held on in a wild finish in front of a sold out Golden 1 Center crowd.
Here are five notes as the Kings moved back to .500 at 11-11 on the season.
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Willie for the win
Cauley-Stein's putback was the first game-winner of his career and it couldn't have come at a better time with the Kings struggling. In addition to the the two-handed dunk with 16 seconds remaining, the 7-footer filled up his stat sheet in his 34 minutes of play. Playing against fellow 2015 lottery pick, Myles Turner, Cauley-Stein finished the night with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting and added 13 rebounds, three assists and a steal.
“Anytime you get a win, it relieves all the pressure. A win saves lives,” Cauley-Stein said following the game.
Bogdan vs. Bojan
NBA
Bogdan Bogdanovic and Bojan Bogdanovic didn't see a lot of action against one another, but the two managed to lead their respective teams in scoring.
"He won in points, I won the game. I like (to) win the game. He's a great player. Both of the Bogdanovic's are good players," Bogdan said.
The Kings' second-year guard finished the night with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He chipped in six assists and a pair of steals in 31 minutes off the bench. Indiana's Bogdanovic scored a game-high 27 points, but missed a game-winner in the closing seconds.
The Koufos effect
Veteran center, Kosta Koufos, has waited patiently to play. He's had a couple of bumps and bruises, but nothing he hasn't played through in the past.
With Marvin Bagley III out with back spasms, the 7-footer was active and played. His numbers don't stand out, but his impact on the floor was tremendous. He put the clamps on Domantas Sabonis and his communication on the court helped improve the Kings' defense overall.
Koufos failed to score in his 15 minutes of action, but he grabbed seven rebounds and helped force Sabonis into seven turnovers on the evening.
Hield gets feisty
Buddy Hield isn't known for getting in trouble with the officials, but apparently he said something Scott Foster didn't like in the first quarter, which led to his first career technical foul.
Hield was defending Tyreke Evans on a drive to the rim and the replay showed Evans tripping over his own feet. When he went to discuss the matter with Foster, he drew the quick whistle.
The Kings' starting shooting guard shook off the incident to score 18 points and grab five rebounds in the win.
Fox struggles, finishes strong
Over the first quarter of the season, De'Aaron Fox has been really good for Sacramento. He's hit a small rough patch over the last two weeks, but when the Kings needed him to come through against the Pacers, especially on the defensive end, he answered the call.
Fox finished the evening with 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting and added six assists, four rebounds, four steals and a block. He turned the ball over six times in the victory, but he locked down Darren Collison in the fourth quarter, holding the veteran guard to 1-of-4 shooting and three turnovers in the final 12 minutes of play.