Starting Line-ups
Kings
- Beno Udrih
- Tyreke Evans
- Donté Greene
- Jason Thompson
- DeMarcus Cousins
Reserves: Carl Landry, Francisco Garcia, Samuel Dalembert, Luther Head, Omri Casspi, Darnell Jackson, Pooh Jeter.
Inactives: Jermaine Taylor.
Hornets
- Chris Paul
- Marco Belinelli
- Trevor Ariza
- David West
- Emeka Okafor
Reserves: Jason Smith, Marcus Thornton, David Anderson, Jarrett Jack, Willie Green, Quincy Pondexter, Aaron Gray.
First Quarter Recap
The Kings got going early in this one. Rookie DeMarcus Cousins punished anyone and everyone the Hornets sent at him, scoring both from the inside and outside. Tyreke Evans, who missed Tuesday night’s match-up against the Houston Rockets, looked like a completely revitalized player in the first quarter. The Kings received balanced scoring with all five starters scoring four or more points, while Jason Thompson cleaned the glass. At the end of one, the Kings held an impressive six point lead over the 14-10 New Orleans Hornets.
Kings 29 Hornets 23
Leaders
Kings- Evans (7) Points; Thompson (5) Rebounds; Evans (4) Assists.
Hornets- Okafor (7) Points; West/Smith (3) Rebounds; West/Paul (2) Assists.
Second Quarter Recap
Holy cow, the Kings didn’t lay their typical second quarter egg. The Kings quickly stepped on the accelerator in the second, using the incredible play of of Tyreke Evans (9 points) and Carl Landry (10 points, 5 rebounds) the Kings opened up a 16 point halftime lead. The Kings moved the ball well, limited their turnovers and for one of the first times this season, outscored an opponent in the second quarter. For the half, the Kings out-shot the Hornets 57.8% to 31.7% and out-played a superior team on their home floor.
Kings 57 Hornets 41
Leaders
Kings- Evans (16) Points; Landry/Thompson (5) Rebounds; Evans (5) Assists.
Hornets- Okafor (10) Points; Smith (6) Rebounds; West/Paul (3) Assists.
Team Kings Hornets
FG% 57.8% 31.7%
Rebounds 24 22
Assists/TO 13/6 11/5
Third Quarter Recap
The Kings looked great early on in the third, stretching the lead to a high of 23 and 20 on multiple occasions. At the 10:20 mark of the quarter, Chris Paul hit his first field goal of the game after being well defended for all of the first half. The Hornets went on an amazing run to cut the Kings lead to seven just before the 2:oo mark. The Kings did a poor job in their defensive rotations, leaving the Hornet shooters open on the perimeter- they didn’t miss. By the end of the quarter, the Kings had slowed the Hornet momentum and pushed the lead back to eight points.
Kings 77 Hornets 69
Leaders
Kings- Evans (22) Points; Thompson (6) Rebounds; Evans (5) Assists.
Hornets- Thornton (15) Points; West (7) Rebounds; Paul (10) Assists.
Fourth Quarter Recap
The Kings left the door open a crack in the third quarter and the Hornets slowly pushed it open. The Kings struggled mightily in the half court, with what seemed like four players watching while one player dribbled. At the 5:10 mark, the Hornets tied the game from the line, but the Kings’ Omri Casspi buried a big corner three to retake the lead a minute later. At the 3:04 mark, Marcus Thornton hit a runner in transition to take a one point lead at 89-88. After leading much of the game, the Kings only scored in the last 3:37 of the game came on a buzzer-beating three pointer by Pooh Jeter. The Hornets outscored the Kings 25-14 in the fourth and beat the Kings by three.
Kings Lose.
Kings 91 Hornets 94
Leaders
Kings- Evans (22) Points; Cousins (7) Rebounds; Evans (7) Assists.
Hornets- Paul (22) Points; West/Okafor (9) Rebounds; Paul (11) Assists.
Team Kings Hornets
FG% 46.4% 43.6%
Rebounds 41 43
Assists/TO 19/15 25/11
Player of the Game: Chris Paul. After struggling to get anything going in the first half, the all-star guard killed the Kings down the stretch with his passing and free throw shooting. Paul is a leader, and tonight he led his team back from a big deficit.
The Difference Maker: Marcus Thornton. The second year guard hit big shots both inside and outside. While Paul orchestrated the comeback, Thornton provided the punch, scoring 19 points on 8-15 shooting in 24 minutes of action. Thornton led the Hornets’ bench that outscored the Kings bench 42-23.
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