Kings 114–109 Pacers: Devin Carter’s Fourth-Quarter Eruption Flips 17-Point Deficit – Sportsphere24 Updates
Sacramento Kings authored one of their most impressive comebacks of the season at Golden 1 Center, overturning a 17-point halftime deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 114–109 behind a career night from rookie guard Devin Carter. Indiana led 59–42 at the break and looked in full control, but Carter exploded for 22 of his career‑best 24 points in the fourth quarter alone, dragging the Kings over the line in front of a delirious home crowd.
Pacers dominate early, Kings look flat
For a half, it was all Pacers. Indiana jumped on Sacramento with sharp offense and active defense, moving the ball, pushing in transition and carving out good looks both at the rim and beyond the arc. They built a 59–42 lead by halftime, repeatedly punishing slow rotations and miscommunications in the Kings’ defense.
Sacramento, by contrast, looked stagnant and a step slow. Their half‑court possessions often bogged down into isolation or late‑clock heaves, and they struggled to contain Indiana’s drives without over‑helping and leaving shooters open. The Golden 1 Center crowd was quiet, and the Kings went into the locker room needing a serious reset.
Third-quarter response: defense and the bench
The fightback started at the defensive end coming out of halftime. Sacramento ramped up their ball pressure, got into passing lanes and did a much better job at the point of attack, forcing Indiana into tougher shots and fewer clean drives. That defensive edge allowed the Kings to get out in transition, where their athletes began to tilt the pace in their favour.
Rookie center Alexandre Raynaud was a huge part of that turnaround. He posted an 18‑point, 11‑rebound double‑double—his 15th of the season—anchoring the paint, cleaning the glass and providing easy scoring chances around the rim. Veterans Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan also steadied the group: Westbrook finished with 16 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, pushing tempo and finding teammates, while DeRozan chipped in 12 points with his mid‑range game and late‑clock poise.
By the end of the third, Sacramento had trimmed the margin enough to make it a real game again, but they still trailed and needed a spark.
Devin Carter’s fourth-quarter takeover
That spark arrived in the form of Devin Carter having the quarter of his life. The rookie guard, who had just 2 points through three quarters, erupted for 22 in the fourth, relentlessly attacking the rim, pulling up off the dribble and stepping into threes with total confidence.
Carter spearheaded a huge Sacramento run that turned a 7‑point deficit into a lead. According to the live tracker, the Kings pieced together a 19–4 burst early in the fourth to flip the scoreline, with Carter at the heart of it—hitting big shots, drawing fouls and injecting energy into every possession. With 4:16 remaining, he buried a three that gave Sacramento their first lead since the opening quarter and sent Golden 1 Center into full playoff‑mode noise.
From there, the rookie’s confidence only grew. He kept hunting mismatches, pushed in transition whenever he could and calmly knocked down free throws to keep Indiana at arm’s length in the closing minutes. For a Kings team that has been searching all season for reliable late‑game guard scoring behind their main stars, Carter’s 24‑point explosion felt like a genuine “arrival” moment.
Pacers fade late despite strong first three quarters
Indiana will leave Northern California frustrated, knowing they had done so much right for three quarters. Their first‑half offense was crisp, their defensive rotations disciplined, and they held Sacramento at 42 points by halftime. But as the Kings amped up their intensity, the Pacers’ composure slipped: more turnovers, tougher looks, and fewer easy paint touches.
In the fourth quarter, Indiana managed only 25 points while surrendering 37, unable to stem the tide of Carter’s shot‑making and Sacramento’s renewed aggression. Their early control of the game and 17‑point cushion ended up feeling like a missed opportunity in a Western road arena where they had done the hard part—silencing the crowd—only to let them back in.
What the comeback means for Sacramento
The 114–109 win lifts Sacramento to 44–31 (per the game summary band) and keeps them firmly in the Western Conference playoff picture, with home‑court advantage in the first round still a realistic target. More important than the numbers, though, is the manner of the victory. Coming back from 17 down, getting huge minutes from multiple rookies and vets, and watching Devin Carter seize the spotlight says a lot about this group’s resilience.
From the Sportsphere24 Updates perspective, Pacers vs Kings on March 10 will be remembered as “the Devin Carter game” at Golden 1 Center: the night a rookie guard dropped 22 in a single quarter, flipped a playoff‑race contest on its head and turned a quiet Tuesday into a roaring Sacramento celebration.