The Kings are back at home to take on the hobbled Charlotte Hornets. This is Sacramento’s last homestand for a while so hopefully they can get 2024 started off on the right foot.
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Tuesday, January 2nd, 7:00 PM PT
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Last Time
This is Sacramento’s first matchup against the Hornets this season. Last season, the Kings and Hornets split the season series with both teams winning on each other’s home floor. The Hornets got the most recent game back in Sacramento on Dec 19th, 2022 as LaMelo Ball (23 points, 12 assists) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (31 points) led the way for the Hornets in that game. Domantas Sabonis put up a monster 28 points, 23 rebound effort and De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 37 points but the Hornets outscored the Kings by 7 in the final frame and won 125 to 119.
Three in the Key
Ball Don’t Play
LaMelo Ball is an incredibly talented player and he was a big reason the Hornets were able to beat the Kings in Sacramento last season, scoring 16 points in the final quarter to put Charlotte on top. However, just like his brother Lonzo, he’s had his share of injury issues since coming to the league. LaMelo has played just 15 games this season, having sprained his ankle in early December and missing every game since. Since that injury, the Hornets have gone 2-13, with their only wins coming by a single point against the Nets and by three points against the Raptors. Terry Rozier (23.6 points), Miles Bridges (19.7 points) and rookie Brandon Miller (14.9 points) have been left to pick up the slack but it hasn’t been enough to overcome Ball’s absence. The Hornets are also without veteran wing Gordon Hayward, and both Mark Williams (back) and Terry Rozier (illness) missed yesterday’s game against Denver although those two at least aren’t yet confirmed as out for tonight’s game.
Dominating Mindset
The Kings victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on New Year’s Eve was their most dominant of the season, winning by 31 points and holding the Grizzlies to just 34 points in the second half. That came one game after holding the Hawks to just 39 points in the second half and completing a 23 point comeback. This is yet another game that the Kings should look to dominate and take control of early. The Hornets are the worst defense in the NBA and one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA. They’re also on the second night of a back to back. There are no excuses for the Kings to not take care of business tonight. Even a small victory would be a bit disappointing, while a loss would rank among the worst of the season. This four game homestand that starts tonight is the longest homestand the Kings have until March, with 19 of their next 26 games after the homestand taking place on the road. The Kings need to start it off on the right foot, especially against the team with the NBA’s current longest losing streak at 11 straight games.
Rookie Intrigue
The Hornets got a bit of flak this offseason for drafting Brandon Miller over Scoot Henderson with the 2nd overall pick, but Miller has been better than Henderson so far this season. The 6’9 wing is averaging 14.9 points while shooting 39.6% from three on just over five attempts a game. He is pretty reliant on shooting jumpers though, with only 16.8% of his FGA coming at the rim. As a result, he doesn’t get to the line very much, averaging only 1.9 attempts a game. Charlotte also features another interesting rookie in guard Nick Smith Jr. who is another shooter, averaging a ridiculous 47.7% from three so far this season. The Hornets aren’t a particularly great shooting team, but their two rookies like to gun it from distance when they can.
Prediction
The Kings come out strong to start 2024, with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis getting whatever they want, whenever they want. Both players score over 30 points and don’t need to play much in the 4th quarter as the Kings keep their second straight team to under 100 points and get the victory.
Kings 127, Hornets 97
