LOS ANGELES -- Even Sacramento Kings rookie guard Buddy Hield believed the Los Angeles Clippers had the game in the bag.

"(Then) they started tripping each other, and we were able to see them collapse," Hield said. "When a team collapses, you know they're in distress. It's easy to catch them slipping.

"I would have thought (the game was over), too, if I was in that situation. But it ain't over till the fat lady sings."

Willie Cauley-Stein scored on a put-back with 1.8 seconds remaining, allowing the Kings to stun the Clippers 98-97 on Sunday at Staples Center.

Darren Collison scored 19 points to lead the Kings (28-45), who trailed by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter. Hield, who hit two clutch 3-pointers, and Anthony Tolliver each had 15 points. Georgios Papagiannis chipped in 12 points.

DeAndre Jordan collected 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, and Chris Paul had 17 points and nine assists. Blake Griffin added 17 points and six rebounds for Los Angeles.

The loss prevented the Clippers (44-31) from pulling into a tie with the idle Utah Jazz for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Instead, Los Angeles is a game back of the Jazz, who have played two fewer games.

"We took our foot off the gas," Griffin said. "It started early in the fourth quarter. They were getting shots they wanted, offensive rebounds and they were getting 3-pointers. I didn't think we had the right spirit."

The Kings cut the Clippers' margin to 96-93 with 2:13 left after back-to-back 3-pointers by Hield, who stole an errant pass by Griffin before draining the second trey.

"That's what you don't want to do," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of putting his starters back in. "I think it was four or five minutes (left) when Chris and Blake came in; we had a nine-point lead. But mentally, I think that's really hard. ... It's easy to ask guys to stay ready, but they're looking at that (18-point) lead think they're not going back in."

After Griffin made one of two free throws, Langston Galloway nailed a trey to slice the advantage to 97-96 with 1:26 left. Both teams failed to convert possessions before Cauley-Stein, who had eight points and 14 rebounds, scored the game-winner after Ben McLemore missed a runner.

"I just remember taking off and seeing Ben had a layup and the only thing I'm thinking is 'If this ball comes off, I've just got to grab it and put it up,' and it just came right to my hands."

Paul missed a contested jumper before the final horn.

The Clippers led 94-76 after a step-back jumper by Paul Pierce with 5:16 remaining. However, the Kings launched a 20-3 spurt that left the Clippers scrambled for answers after the defeat.

"We didn't lose hope," said Collison, a former Clipper. "You talk about when (Galloway), Buddy, Ben, Willie, they didn't lose hope, not one bit. They kept pulling and pulling and pulling and eventually got some big 3s."

Sacramento outscored Los Angeles 33-31 in the fourth quarter. The Kings made 57.1 percent of their shots from the field compared with 28.6 percent for the Clippers. They also were 6 of 8 (75 percent) from long distance to 1 of 5 (20 percent) for the Clippers.

Overall, Sacramento connected on 45.2 percent of its shots from the floor to 41 percent for Los Angeles.

The Clippers started slow but picked up their game late in the second quarter. Los Angeles trailed 40-33 with 4:50 left before halftime after a 3-pointer by Tolliver, but the Clippers closed with an 11-2 run for a 44-42 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the Clippers opened with a 15-5 surge for a 57-47 advantage after a 3-pointer by Luc Mbah a Moute with 7:58 remaining in the quarter. By the end of the third, the Clippers, who led by as much as 17, had a 76-65 edge.

Clippers guard J.J. Redick missed the game with a sprained right ankle sustained in Los Angeles' Saturday win over the Jazz.

NOTES: The Kings rested F Arron Afflalo and C Kosta Koufos. ... Clippers G Jamal Crawford is a point shy of 18,000 points for his career. ... Clippers F Paul Pierce, who scored two points, remains 12 points from passing John Havlicek (26,395) for 15th place on the NBA's career scoring list. ... The Kings host the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. The Clippers play the Washington Wizards on Wednesday at Staples Center.