DENVER — Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison scored 21 points and center DeMarcus Cousins added 19 as the Kings held off the Denver Nuggets for a 110-105 win on Monday night.
Forward Carl Landry had 14 points off the bench and forward Reggie Evans had 14 rebounds for the Kings (3-1), who have won three straight after an opening-night loss to Golden State.
Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo and center JaVale McGee scored 16 apiece for the Nuggets, who dropped their second in a row despite having seven players score in double figures.
The teams combined for 80 free-three attempts and 63 fouls. It was a tight game throughout, with neither team leading by more than seven. Sacramento led most of the way before Denver (1-2) battled back midway through the third quarter. The lead changed hands several times into the fourth quarter.
The teams were tied at 90 with 5:52 left in the game and traded baskets on the next three possessions until guard Ray McCallum’s layup put the Kings ahead for good, 98-96 with 3:17 remaining.
Denver missed three shots on the other end and Sacramento capitalized when forward Rudy Gay’s three-point play gave them a 101-96 lead less than a minute later.
McGee’s put-back and a block on Gay gave Denver a chance to tie with a minute left but guard Randy Foye’s 3-pointer was off and Cousins responded with two free throws on the other.
Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler drained three foul shots with 25.6 seconds left to get Denver within two but the Kings hit five of their next six free throws to ice the win. Sacramento finished the game 40-for-47 from the line.
Denver guard Ty Lawson had 12 assists on his 27th birthday.
The Kings led 51-46 at intermission behind 12 points from Cousins and 11 from Collison. Afflalo led the Nuggets with 11 points in the first half. Five players had three fouls and the teams combined to commit 32 in the first two quarters.
Both teams were cold to start the game. The Kings missed their first six shots and Denver hit just two of its first 16, one of which came on a goaltending call. Both teams shot 26 percent in the first quarter.
NOTES: Nuggets F Wilson Chandler was moved into the starting lineup in place of F Danilo Gallinari, who is still working his way back from two ACL surgeries on his left knee. Denver is limiting Gallinari to around 20 minutes per game. … Kings G Nik Stauskas’ three blocks Sunday matched the most by a Sacramento rookie in his first three games. … Denver coach Brian Shaw has moved JaVale McGee to the backup center position. In the Nuggets’ first two games, McGee was the third center behind starter Timofey Mozgov and rookie Jusuf Nurkic. … Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins and Denver F Kenneth Faried were teammates on the U.S. team that won the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in Spain this summer.