The Sacramento Kings (22-41) snapped their four-game losing streak tonight in Charlotte, taking down the Hornets (28-35) by a final of 113-106.
After an up and down week, Ben McLemore found his range tonight in Charlotte. The 22-year-old guard finished with 27 points, including 13 in the deciding fourth quarter. Rudy Gay continued his hot streak, scoring 26 points on 9-for-17 shooting. The veteran wing is averaging 28.8 points over his last four games and 23.7 in 11 games under George Karl. DeMarcus Cousins added another double-double (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Carl Landry chipped in 10 points in 19 minutes of action.
Join James Ham and Rui Thomas for the Road Reaction Postgame Show on Google+ after the game. The show can be watched on the video player embedded below. You can also join the discussion of tonight’s game by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfCJe1eW8xE]What to watch
1. A hint of defense
On their current four-game losing streak, the Kings have allowed their opponents to score at least 110 points per match and shoot over 50 percent from the floor. After letting the Hawks reach 130 points, shoot 60.2 percent on field goals and 20-of-36 3-pointers on Monday, Sacramento must look within themselves to find the pride for playing defense against a Charlotte club that ranks 28th in the league in scoring.
2. Ball control (by default)
The reborn Hornets, much like the Kings, struggle to force turnovers, placing last in the NBA in steals. Sacramento is averaging 17.6 turnovers a game under new coach George Karl, but have few excuses for sloppy play facing Steve Clifford’s conservative schemes.
3. Ben’s bounce back
After opening the Kings’ road trip with a 20-point outing versus the Knicks, Ben McLemore notched nine points against the Spurs and went scoreless versus the Magic. Then the second-year pro dropped 17 points in a half before cooling in Miami, and shot 4-of-16 in Atlanta. As the losses pile on, Sacramento is dependent on McLemore to shake off his inconsistencies on both sides of the ball.
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