Hornets Escape with a Narrow Victory over Kings

The Charlotte Hornets got a close win over the Sacramento Kings, 124-123, snapping their three-game losing streak on Friday night.

The game started off at a fast pace for both teams. Hornets’ coach James Borrego called a timeout four minutes into the game. At that juncture, the score was already 16-15. The pace only slowed down marginally from there. At the end of the first quarter, the Hornets led 37-36. They were led by Cody Martin, who scored 11 points in the quarter.

Arnoldas Kulboka, a 2018 2nd-round draft pick by the Hornets, made his NBA debut to start the second quarter, playing for three minutes. The Kings went on an extended 15-4 run. The Hornets used the rest of the quarter to make a comeback.

Kelly Oubre Jr. and Gordon Hayward did the majority of the heavy lifting, with some help from Miles Bridges. The Hornets took the lead when Martin stole the ball and scored in transition, but it was short lived. Going into the locker room, the Hornets trailed 71-69.

The Kings went on a 12-0 run to start the third quarter. Coach Borrego called a much needed timeout and benched Vernon Carey Jr. in favor of JT Thor. The substitution stopped the bleeding, but the Hornets could not gain back the ground they lost.

Bouknight checked into the game and went on a personal 8-0 run, to bring the Hornets back within three. Bridges made a couple of impressive layups in the final minute of the quarter, pulling the Hornets within one, 99-98, heading into the fourth quarter.

James Bouknight kept the momentum going with a step back three on the Hornets first possession of the fourth quarter, to give him 21 points for the game. A few bad Hornets possessions kept the Kings afloat. De’Aaron Fox gave them the lead with a long two, but it was answered with a Martin three.

The Kings tied the game with a pair of free throws, with 20 seconds remaining. Martin made a reverse layup, but Kings’ interim coach Alvin Gentry challenged the play and was successful with 5.5 seconds left. Martin went to the free throw line for two shots, and only made one.

Then Martin made a critical mental error. Thinking that the Hornets had a foul to give, he fouled Fox at half court, with just two seconds to play. He missed both free throws after going 8-8 previously. Marvin Bagley III tried to tip the ball in, but it would not fall. The Hornets escaped with a wild 124-123 win.

Borrego said after the this game that this is the proudest he has ever been of a team after a win since his arrival in Charlotte four years ago.

“Just the resiliency of this team, to never give in, the fight, the perseverance and just the buy in of this group is just, I love this group,” Borrego said. “They never give up. We had seven of our top 10 rotation players out and those guys in that locker room deserve all the credit. They battled until the last second and they deserve all the credit.”

Rookie James Bouknight, the 11th pick in the 2021 NBA draft, had a career high 24 points on six 3-pointers for the Hornets. Miles Bridges had an all-around great game with 23 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22 points. The Hornets had seven players out due to illness and NBA health and safety protocols.

De’Aaron Fox had a game high 31 points and 5 assists for the Kings. Terrence Davis scored 19 points, with 8 boards. Tyrese Haliburton, Marvin Bagley III and Buddy Hield all contributed 15 points apiece.

The Kings travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Saturday night. The Hornets open a six-game road trip at Dallas to take on the Mavericks Monday night.