NEW YORK -- DeMarcus Cousins kept the Sacramento Kings afloat in the first half, took his performance to another level in the third quarter and emphatically reached a significant milestone in the fourth.

It was a good night for Cousins and an even more enjoyable outing for the rest of the Kings.

Cousins scored 18 of his 37 points in the third quarter and became the Kings' third all-time leading scorer in the Sacramento era during a 122-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

Cousins began the night with 8,009 career points and needed 34 to tie Chris Webber. He started slowly by missing his first three shots and going 0-for-5 in the second quarter when the Kings rallied from a nine-point deficit. The center then helped Sacramento take control by shooting 6 of 9 in the third and his point total equaled the production from the Nets.

"I don't know how to explain it, we just go to another level," Cousins said. "It's unexplainable. It happened tonight and we were able to get the game out of reach and seal the victory."

Cousins' productive third gave the Kings a 92-77 lead and put him on the verge of matching and surpassing Webber. He tied Webber with a 3-point shot at the 4:37 mark that extended the lead to 115-93 and surpassed the former forward and current TNT broadcaster with a thunderous dunk and free throw with 3:18 to play.

"That's incredible," Cousins said. "I don't like to speak on Chris Webber's legacy, especially in Sacramento. He's the biggest icon to walk through the city. So I'm honored. It's exciting."

It was the eighth 30-point game for Cousins and his fourth in a row. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and recorded his 251st career double-double and first game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds since March 18 Detroit.

"He is just hands (down) one of the best players in the league," said Sacramento forward Matt Barnes, who was ejected for a flagrant two foul on Sean Kilpatrick with 9:35 left in the fourth. "When he picks and chooses his spots, he is tough."

Cousins' showing also helped the Kings end a seven-game road losing streak to the Nets, a slide that dated back six coaches and two arenas. Before Cousins took over, Sacramento had not won a road game against the Nets since Dec. 18, 2007, at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

"He's a difficult cover because he can play facing you, with his back to the basket," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. "He creates a lot of contact, gets to the foul line. You look down and you're like how do you take that for granted, 37 and 11. Wow, pretty cool."

Rudy Gay added 22 points and also approached a triple-double with eight assists and eight rebounds. Darren Collison contributed 18 points for Sacramento, which shot 53.5 percent.

Kilpatrick led the Nets with 22 points but Brooklyn (4-12) was outscored 34-18 in the third quarter and dropped its seventh straight game. Brook Lopez added 17 points but misfired on 10 of 15 shots as the Nets continued struggling in third quarters.

"We have to fix the third quarter blues," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. "For some reason we don't come out with the requisite energy that we need."

The Kings erased a nine-point deficit late in the first half and began taking control early in the third. Kosta Koufos gave the Kings the lead for good around the 9 1/2-minute mark before Gay and Collison followed with 3-pointers for a 71-64 lead with 8:07 left.

The Nets were within 84-77 on a basket by Justin Hamilton with 2:07 remaining but Cousins had a thunderous dunk, uncontested 3-pointer from the top of the key and two free throws to put Sacramento up 15 entering the fourth.

After Barnes was tossed, the Nets were within 99-91 on a 3-pointer by Lopez with 9:26 remaining.

Cousins returned and the Kings opened a 105-93 lead on a wide-open 3-pointer by Gay with 5:50 left. Gay's shot preceded a fast break layup by Collison with about 5 1/2 minutes left and the outcome was never in doubt thereafter.

"It was tough," Lopez said. "We couldn't really close it out. Things got a little away from us."

NOTES: Nets G Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) missed his 11th straight game. On Saturday, he thanked fans for their support in a Facebook video but gave no indication of when he will return. ... There are five players still active that appeared in Sacramento's last road victory in the series on Dec. 18, 2007, at the Meadowlands. Current Lakers F Metta World Peace, Detroit G Beno Udrih and Charlotte F Spencer Hawes played for the Kings while Cleveland F Richard Jefferson and Memphis G/F Vince Carter appeared for the Nets. ... Brooklyn G/F Ronade Hollis-Jefferson missed his second straight game with a sore right ankle. Hollis-Jefferson was injured during Wednesday's loss to the Boston Celtics. ... Sunday began a stretch of 13 of 18 games on the road for the Kings.