Behind big games from DeMarcus Cousins and Domantas Sabonis, the Sacramento Kings won their third in a row with a 106-98 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. It was a one-point game entering the fourth quarter but the Kings outscored the Hornets 31-24 and led by as many as 11.
Cousins had 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Sabonis had 21 points and 17 rebounds off the bench.
Charlotte’s Kemba Walker sank seven three-pointers and had a game-high 30 points, while Gerald Wallace had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings had another good defensive effort, holding the Hornets to 37.0% shooting. Sacramento finished at 42.5% after a cold start.
Mitch Richmond scored six early points to help the Kings to an 11-4 lead. The Hornets came back and took their first lead at 14-13 on two free throws by Elden Campbell. It stayed close the rest of the quarter. Despite shooting 4-for-21 from the field in the first quarter, the Kings only trailed 23-21.
The Hornets led for a good portion of the second quarter, but never by more than four points. The Kings would eventually get back the lead at 39-36 on a three-pointer by Peja Stojakovic. Another Stojakovic three-pointer made it 44-38. Charlotte came back to tie it at 46, but the Kings went into halftime with a 48-46 advantage.
The Kings couldn’t yet pull away, and Walker put the Hornets up 63-62 midway through the third quarter. Charlotte led for a spell, but the Kings regained the lead at 71-70 on a Cousins basket. Sacramento wouldn’t trail again, but it stayed a one-point game at the end of the third quarter at 75-74.
The Kings finally got some breathing room by opening the fourth quarter on an 9-1 run, with five points coming from Sabonis, making it 84-75, at the time the largest lead of the game for either team. The Hornets had one more run left in them to get it back to two points at 89-87. Walker and Wallace both had six points in a 12-5 spurt. But, Sabonis put that to an end with a three-pointer. A Stojakovic basket helped the Kings regain a nine-point lead at 100-91. Oscar Robertson later made it 104-93, and the 11-point lead turned out to be the largest of the game.
Next up: the Chicago Bulls.
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 