Charlotte Hornets hold off Sacramento Kings after leading by 20
Based on their track record over the past two seasons, the Charlotte Hornets really couldn’t afford to make this one close down the stretch.
The Hornets have been awful this season and last in tight games, the most recent example being a one-point home loss to the Miami Heat Saturday. Monday, they held off the Sacramento Kings 112-107 at Spectrum Center after leading by as many as 20 points to a rebuilding team with just 13 victories this season.
Point guard Kemba Walker, the subject of recent trade speculation, led the Hornets with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Jeremy Lamb had a strong game off the bench for the Hornets (19-26) with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.
The Kings (13-33) lost both games in the season series with the Hornets, who are 2-1 in a five-game home stand at Spectrum Center.
Three who mattered
Walker: He didn’t finish well at the rim, but Walker had a big assist night.
Skal Labissiere: The Kings reserve (23 points) was a strong inside scorer Monday.
Lamb: He got a fast start off the Hornets’ bench, making four of his first five shots..
Observations
▪ Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist missed Monday’s game with an axillary abscess in his right arm. (You probably don’t want to read a detailed description; it’s gross.).
▪ With Kidd-Gilchrist out, Treveon Graham made his first start of the season for the Hornets. Graham had a start with the Hornets last season.
▪ Hornets coach Steve Clifford said Kidd-Gilchrist being out, and Graham moving up to the starting five, would mean more minutes for rookie Malik Monk, as the fourth wing player in the rotation.
▪ Hornets guard Nic Batum, coming off a season-high 26-point game Saturday, said coach Steve Clifford has run more plays and general offensive actions for him in Clifford’s two games back from a six-week medical leave.
▪ The Kings have the NBA’s worst 3-point percentage defense this season, allowing teams to make 38.4 percent of their attempts. The Hornets made eight of their first 18 3-pointers Monday.
Worth mentioning
▪ Former North Carolina star Vince Carter is the NBA’s oldest player, four days away from his 41st birthday. He made his second start of the season Monday. Carter’s fellow starting guard, De”Aaron Fox, was 11 months old when Carter played his first NBA game in 1998.
▪ Former Duke big man Harry Giles is sitting out the season on the Kings’ roster, working out and working at overcoming past knee injuries. Giles seemed to move well working out with the Kings’ staff pre-game at Spectrum Center..
▪ Kings coach Dave Joerger rotates a veteran or two out of the lineup each game this season to get his young players extra experience. Monday, that was low-post scorer Zach Randolph and former Bobcat Garrett Temple.
Report card
A OFFENSE: The Hornets took advantage of some horrible 3-point defense by the Kings.
B- DEFENSE: The Hornets gave up far too many points in the lane.
B+ COACHING: They didn’t let a bad Kings game hang around long enough to make this competitive in the fourth quarter.
Rick Bonnell: 704-358-5129, @rick_bonnell
HORNETS 112, KINGS 107
Sacramento | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Bogdanovic | 28:31 | 3-10 | 2-2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
Koufos | 16:42 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
Cauley-Stein | 37:01 | 5-20 | 1-2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
Carter | 18:36 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Fox | 31:11 | 6-13 | 3-5 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
Labissiere | 29:27 | 10-15 | 2-3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 23 |
Hield | 26:42 | 6-13 | 2-2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 18 |
Jackson | 19:58 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Hill | 19:02 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
Papagiannis | 12:50 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
Totals | 240:00 | 43-97 | 11-15 | 42 | 27 | 22 | 107 |
Percentages: FG .443, FT .733. 3-Point Goals: 10-22, .455 (Hield 4-6, Carter 2-3, Bogdanovic 2-4, Fox 1-3, Labissiere 1-3, Cauley-Stein 0-1, Hill 0-1, Jackson 0-1). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 7 (12 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Carter 2, Labissiere). Turnovers: 7 (Labissiere 2, Bogdanovic, Fox, Hield, Hill, Koufos). Steals: 8 (Koufos 3, Cauley-Stein 2, Bogdanovic, Fox, Hill).
Charlotte | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Graham | 21:15 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Williams | 29:30 | 5-8 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
Howard | 32:54 | 4-8 | 6-9 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 14 |
Batum | 34:43 | 6-13 | 1-1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
Walker | 39:58 | 6-20 | 9-10 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 26 |
Lamb | 26:45 | 7-12 | 1-2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
Kaminsky | 20:41 | 3-9 | 2-2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
Carter-Williams | 15:28 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
O’Bryant III | 12:55 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Monk | 5:51 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Totals | 240:00 | 38-86 | 20-25 | 48 | 22 | 14 | 112 |
Percentages: FG .442, FT .800. 3-Point Goals: 16-40, .400 (Walker 5-14, Williams 3-5, Lamb 3-6, Kaminsky 2-5, Graham 1-2, O’Bryant III 1-3, Batum 1-5). Team Rebounds: 13. Team Turnovers: 15 (25 PTS). Blocked Shots: 10 (Howard 6, Walker 2, Lamb, Williams). Turnovers: 15 (Walker 6, Howard 4, Batum 2, Carter-Williams, Graham, Williams). Steals: 4 (Graham, Howard, Lamb, Walker). Technical Fouls: coach Hornets (Defensive three second), 5:57 third; Howard, 4:45 third.
Sacramento | 33 | 22 | 20 | 32 | — | 107 |
Charlotte | 35 | 32 | 25 | 20 | — | 112 |
Att.—11,806 (19,077). T—2:10.
Officials—Tre Maddox, Pat Fraher, Ben Taylor
This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 9:36 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets hold off Sacramento Kings after leading by 20."