Cousins lead Kings rally past Jazz

Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts after dunking on Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27). AP

SALT LAKE CITY – DeMarcus Cousins scored 21 points and the Sacramento Kings rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz 94-93 on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time).

The Kings used an 11-3 run, led by Ty Lawson and five free throws by Cousins, to take a 91-89 lead with 25.9 seconds remaining. It was their first lead since the first quarter.

The Jazz led by 20 in the third quarter, but their defense disappeared in crunch time. Gordon Hayward was isolated against Cousins with 16.6 seconds remaining but missed a short fade-away that could have won it.

Cousins was coming off a 55-point effort against Portland on Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time) that included his brief ejection late in the game – Cousins was initially given a technical foul for spitting his mouthpiece at the Trail Blazers’ bench, but the call was overturned.

Lawson set a season high with 19 points.

Hayward led the Jazz with 28 points and 10 rebounds while Rudy Gobert recorded his ninth consecutive double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. He and the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns are tied for the longest active streaks.

The Jazz used a 9-0 stretch in the third quarter to take a 62-42 lead but couldn’t hold on in crunch time. A 13-2 Kings run spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter cut the lead to five thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers.