Charlotte Hornets Snap Five-Game Skid With Blowout Win in Sacramento, 99-85

Frank Kaminsky‘s 23-point double-double led the Charlotte Hornets to a blowout victory over the Kings in Sacramento.

The Charlotte Hornets (25-33) were able to defeat the Sacramento Kings (25-34) as they snapped their five-game losing streak. Steve Clifford’s side was also able to end a 12-game losing streak on the road. While Kemba Walker didn’t have his typical all-star type performance, Frank Kaminsky stepped up with a 23-point and 13 rebounds game.

Charlotte was a bit shorthanded as they were without Cody Zeller (quad contusion), Ramon Sessions (knee surgery) and Miles Plumlee (calf strain). While Zeller is inching closer to a return, the other two players are set to be out for a few more weeks. Luckily, other players have stepped up in their places, especially Frank Kaminsky in Cody’s starting center role.

Turning Point

The Hornets led 44-40 with 2:20 left in the second quarter. Over the next six minutes (second and third quarters) Charlotte went on a 19-0 run to take a 63-40 lead with 8:19 in the third period. That was their largest lead of the game. The visiting team never looked back as their lead never dipped under 10 for the remainder of the game.

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Who Stepped Up

Frank Kaminsky led the Hornets in this one as he finished with a game-high 23 points to go along with 13 rebounds and three assists. Marvin Williams added 16 points and six boards while Nicolas Batum chipped in with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. Marco Belinelli led the bench as he scored 13 points against his former team.

While Kemba Walker didn’t score particularly well, he still made an impact with 12 points and six assists. Also, it is a good sign for Charlotte that they were able to win a game without Kemba carrying them. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist only scored six points on 1-6 shooting but he was able to grab 12 boards with six of them on the offensive end.

The Kings were led by ben McLemore who scored a team-high 18 points on the night. Newly acquired guard, Buddy Hield, scored 15 points off of the bench for Sacramento. Anthony Tolliver and Tyreke Evans both scored 11 points in this one. Darren Collison scored 10 points and rounded out the double-digit scorers.

Play of the Game:

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• Kaminsky recorded his first 20p-10r game of his career.
• Frank knocked down a career-high five three-point shots.
• The Tank has scored 20+ points in four of the last nine games.
• Charlotte out-rebounded Sacramento 50-41.
• The Hornets had 26 assists on their 34 made field goals.

With the win, the Hornets improved to 1-1 on the season against the Kings. This was the last matchup between the two teams so their season series will end tied after Charlotte swept Sacramento last year.

Next: No Moves at the Trade Deadline Shows Direction

In their next game, the Charlotte Hornets will travel to LA to take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the second game of a back to back. This will be the second and final meeting between the two sides of the season as the Clips took the first game in the Queen City earlier this year. Even though this was a win over the lowly Kings, it could give the Hornets a big boost going forward.