SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Kings were one rebound from their fourth consecutive win.
DeMarcus Cousins took the blame for not getting it.
Al Jefferson's grab of Devin Harris' airball and his layin with 0.9 seconds left gave Utah a 103-102 win over Sacramento on Thursday night at Power Balance Pavilion.
The Kings had rallied from 14 points down with five minutes to play in the third quarter to lead 102-101 with 4.1 seconds to play after a strong drive and layup by Marcus Thornton.
Harris then airballed a runner along the baseline that Jefferson caught and converted for the lead.
Thornton's 27-foot three-point attempt was short at the buzzer.
Cousins said if he had done his part, the game would have been over and the Kings would have won on Harris' miss.
"It was my fault," Cousins said. "I went over to help on the Devin Harris shot. I wanted to make it as difficult as possible, which left Al Jefferson in perfect position to get that tip-in. It came off perfect and went straight to his hands."
The loss left the Kings 5-4 on their nine-game homestand, the longest in franchise history.
"(Jefferson) was in the right place at the right time," said Kings forward Tyreke Evans. "Devin Harris took a tough shot, Cuz helped, tried to block the shot and (Jefferson) followed up with a putback."
Cousins took the blame for the decisive play, but the collective play of the Kings put them in a hole.
The Jazz shot 53.5 percent through three quarters (38 of 71) while the Kings struggled at 41.8 percent (33 of 79).
Strong defense by Evans and Chuck Hayes helped spark Sacramento's fourth-quarter rally. There were 10 lead changes and four ties in the final period.
Hayes harassed Jefferson, who had only four of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter. Evans had three steals and 11 points in the fourth.
"The guys played well enough to win the game," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "As bad as we played offensively, we still had an opportunity to be in the game and to win it with one possession."
Besides Evans (25 points, 11-of-17 shooting) and Jason Thompson (19 points, 8 of 15, 15 rebounds) it was a bad shooting night (40.6 percent) for Sacramento.
Cousins attempted a career-high 28 shots but made only nine to go with 18 rebounds.
Thornton shot 7 of 18 for 16 points, but he was 4 of 15 through three quarters. Thornton scored five points in the final 27.3 seconds to twice give the Kings the lead.
Smart said the Kings (17-30) will continue to learn how to deal with physical teams such Utah.
Late in the first quarter, Cousins bumped into Harris chasing a loose ball. That led to Harris staring down Cousins.
Officials stepped and no technical fouls were called, but Cousins said Harris has had a problem with him for some time.
"Honestly, I'm tired of the kid," Cousins said. "I don't know what his issue is."
The Kings had 28 assists, their fifth consecutive game with at least 20. The Kings have 20 or more assists in eight of their past 10 games.
It was also Thompson's his fifth game in a row with a double double. That ties his career-long double-double streak.
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