CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Sacramento Kings should be drained near the end of an eight-game, 12-day road trip.

But that wasn't the case on Saturday night, as the Kings dug deep down the stretch and held on for a 109-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.

The Kings bounced back from an overtime loss at Indiana on Friday, led by as many as 15 in the second half, and eventually emerged after the teams were tied going into the final minute. DeMarcus Cousins' drive with 14.3 seconds remaining gave the Kings the lead for good at 108-106, and then after an air-ball 3-point attempt by Charlotte's Frank Kaminsky, Cousins tacked on a free throw with 0.9 remaining to push the final margin to three.

"We just really showed some resilience tonight, to come back on the second night of a back-to-back," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. "We're getting better at the little things, taking care of the ball. We executed better. We attacked a little bit better. We executed out of time outs both offensively and defensively. And then DeMarcus got the ball where we wanted to get it to him and he went and made a play at the end."

Cousins led the way with 35 points and 18 rebounds, hitting 13 of 22 from the field on a night when the Kings shot 51.9 percent from the field and hit 11 3-pointers. Cousins scored the Kings' final six points, and eight of the last 10.

"Obviously, he's a big strong guy," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said of Cousins. "I mean, even when they did miss he got the rebound and put it in. I think they had at least two or maybe three second-chance baskets in the last three minutes."

The Kings (19-28) are now 3-3 though six games of the trip.

"We're getting to a level where this needs to be how we play every night," Joerger said. "We were playing hard. You look at last night, that was a heckuva basketball game. Tonight was a heckuva basketball game. Guys were diving on the floor. We're playing hard. Our bench is engaged no matter who's in the game. So like I've been saying, the chemistry's fantastic. After a tough loss last night, the locker room was very quiet. But on the plane, they were back to cutting up and they're helping each other. So those are very positive things for our organization and for what we're trying to build for several years going forward."

The Kings also got 17 points from Darren Collison, 14 points from Anthony Tolliver, and 13 points apiece from Arron Affalo and Willie Cauley-Stein.

"I think defensively we're starting to click," Collison said. "I think right now we're starting to get more accustomed to the system. The first couple months, it takes an adjustment period to get comfortable. But I think guys are starting to understand the plays, the rotations, and where they're supposed to be all the time, and it's starting to pay off. The ball's been moving really well."

"We're realizing what's going to win us games, and it's not iso basketball, it's making the defense work, getting the best shot for the team and just finding the open lanes," Cousins said. "We're realizing it's working for us."

The Hornets (23-25) are now two games under .500 for the first time all season. They have lost four straight and nine of their last 12.

Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 26 points, but it was a strange game for the All-Star selection. He scored just six points in the first half, erupted for 20 points in the third quarter, and then did not score in the fourth quarter.

He had the ball on the Hornets' final possession, down two after Cousins' drive made it 108-106 with 14.3 remaining. But after driving inside, he passed out to Kaminsky for a wide-open 3-pointer, and Kaminsky air-balled the shot badly, short and wide.

"I was trying to make the right play," Walker said. "I got to the basket, their whole team was on me, and I made the right pass. He unfortunately missed the shot. That's not the reason we lost."

Nicolas Batum added 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Hornets. Marvin Williams scored 14, and Spencer Hawes finished with 12.

NOTES: The Kings were without F Omar Casspi (plantaris tendon strain) and F Rudy Gay (torn Achilles). ... The Hornets were without C Cody Zeller (quad contusion) and G Jeremy Lamb (metatarsal inflammation). ... The Kings were playing the sixth game on a marathon eight-game trip. ... Both teams were playing on the second night of back-to-backs. The Kings lost 115-111 in overtime at Indiana on Friday night and the Hornets lost at New York 110-107. ... The Kings' overtime loss at Indiana was their fifth overtime game of the season. They are 1-4 in those games. ... The Kings will continue on the trip at Philadelphia on Monday in a game that was rescheduled after being postponed earlier this season. ... The Hornets will now head out on a three-game Western trip, beginning at Portland on Tuesday. With Friday's loss at New York, the Hornets have lost seven straight road games and haven't won on the road since Dec. 28. ... The teams will meet again in Sacramento on Feb. 25.