SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ A 22-point lead was lost _ and then the game.
The Atlanta Hawks failed to hold off the Sacramento Kings in a dramatic comeback for a 108-107 loss Friday night at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings' Darren Collison scored on a layup high off the glass with 3.5 seconds left for the winning margin. Tim Hardaway Jr. was turned away at the buzzer and the Hawks had failed.
Dennis Schroder hit two free throws with 1:01 left and a jumper with 34.9 seconds left between two free throws from Demarcus Cousins for a 105-104 lead. Cousins drew a sixth foul on Dwight Howard with the foul at the 44.7 second mark. Cousins scored on a put-back with 20.8 seconds left for a 106-105 lead. Paul Millsap answered for the Hawks with a drive and pull-up and a 107-106 advantage with 7.9 seconds left.
Cousins hit a 3-pointer with 4:36 remaining to tie the game at 93-93 at completely erase the once monumental deficit. Kent Bazemore scored and had a key rebound and Hardaway had a three-point play and a 3-pointer to put the Hawks up by seven, 101-94.
However, the Kings got back-to-back 3-pointers from Anthony Tolliver and Cousins and a put-back from Matt Barnes for a 102-101 lead with 1:14 remaining, their first lead of the game.
The Hawks (31-23) were led by Hardaway with a game-high 28 points. Millsap added 25 points and Schroder finished with 20 points.
The Kings (22-32) were led by Cousins, Collison and Ben McLemore all with 22 points.
The Hawks jumped out early and lead 11-4 after the Kings made just one of their first nine shots and had four turnovers. The Hawks led by as many as 14 points in the opening quarter. They pushed their lead to 19 late in the second quarter and took a 59-43 advantage into halftime. Hardaway had 18 points, Millsap had 14 points and Howard had 10 rebounds in the first half.
The Hawks pushed their lead to 22 points, 71-49, in the third quarter. The Kings then went on a 23-10 run to get as close as nine points. The Hawks took a 10-point advantage, 84-74, into the fourth quarter.
