Kleiza Hits Buzzer-Beater As Nuggets Sink Kings 106-105

Denver Nuggets forward Linas Kleiza (43) celebrates with teammates after he hit a shot just before the buzzer to give the Nuggets a 106-105 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

The Sacramento Kings just came off a successful road trip then returned home and what thanks do they receive? They play the Denver Nuggets then suffer a second-half meltdown; as a result, the Nuggets escaped from Arco Arena with a narrow 106-105 victory over the Kings.

Sacramento hit 11 of their first 16 shots and didn’t commit a turnover until guard Quincy Douby’s offensive foul at the 8:14 mark of the second quarter. Despite the Kings having 8 first-half steals yet were outrebounded in the first half, Sacramento led Denver 66-51 at halftime. But the Nuggets’ Allen Iverson in the fourth quarter almost brought the Nuggets back. His layup with 9:13 left in the game pulled the Nuggets to within 93-87, then he hit a trey at the 3:24 mark that made it 101-97. Iverson’s 3-point play with 2:10 left cut Sacramento’s lead to 103-100.

But Denver’s Marcus Camby traveled with 1:10 left to go with Denver down by one point, then Sacramento’s Beno Udrih hit a basket moments later. Kleiza missed a 3-point attempt and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony lost a rebound, giving the Kings the ball with 37.8 seconds left. The Kings’ Udrih missed 2 free throws with 36.5 seconds left as the Nuggets got another chance; Anthony scored a basket to make it 105-104 and Sacramento took a timeout.

Sacramento center Brad Miller missed a pair of free throws; Denver’s Iverson missed a close shot, but Camby tipped the ball to Kleiza, who made the winning shot. Denver had 5 players in double-digits, while led by Anthony with a quiet 30 points with 12 rebounds. Iverson scored 21 with 6 assists, while Camby added 19 with 14 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. J.R. Smith came off the bench to chip in 14.

Sacramento had 6 players in double-digits, led by Ron Artest with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists - nearly a triple-double. Miller added 22 and 8 rebounds, while John Salmons poured in 14. Denver (16-11) returns home to host the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night, while Sacramento (11-15) continues their homestand by hosting the Boston Celtics - also on Wednesday.