Swarm and Sting
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Charlotte Hornets Look to Bounce Back Against the Kings in Sacramento

By Jerry Stephens

Jan 28, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson (10) handles the ball covered by Charlotte Hornets center Frank Kaminsky III (44) at the Spectrum Center. The Kings won 109-106. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson (10) handles the ball covered by Charlotte Hornets center Frank Kaminsky III (44) at the Spectrum Center. The Kings won 109-106. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
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In their second game since the All-Star break, the Charlotte Hornets look to right the ship a bit as they travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings.

The Charlotte Hornets (24-33) are set to take on the Sacramento Kings (25-33) as they attempt to put at end to their five-game losing streak. The team blew yet another double-digit fourth quarter lead in their last outing against the Detroit Pistons. This is the first night of a back to back for Steve Clifford’s side as they are in the second game of their current six-game road trip.

In their last game, the Kings were able to defeat the Denver Nuggets in their first game back after the all-star break. They traded their star big man in DeMarcus Cousins away before the trade deadline this season. The new look Sacramento team has only played one game without Cousins and they came out with a win. It will be interesting to see how they play without one of the best players that franchise has had in the past decade.

This will be the second and final meeting between the two sides this year as the Kings went to Charlotte and walked away with a three-point victory in their previous match this season. Without Boogie, the Hornets should be the favorites in this one but their poor form makes this an even affair.

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Charlotte Hornets @ Sacramento Kings

6:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, February 25th, 2017

Golden 1 Center

Broadcast on NBA TV

Injury Report:

CHA:

OUT – Ramon Sessions (left knee surgery), missed last seven games (2/4 – 2/23)
OUT – Miles Plumlee (right calf strain), missed last two games (2/15 – 2/23)
DOUBTFUL – Cody Zeller (quad soreness), missed last four games (2/11 – 2/23)

SAC:

Rudy Gay (Torn Left Achillies) – OUT
Malachi Richardson (Right Hamstring Partial Tear)-Out
Garrett Temple (Left Hamstring Partial Tear)-Out

Biggest Story:

Fourth Quarter Leads

In their last two games, the Hornets have blown a 17-point fourth quarter lead to the Toronto Raptors and a 15-point one against the Pistons. Charlotte has had trouble closing out games this season and mostly as of late. They have had a problem scoring points late in games as they’ve combined for a total of 25 points in their last two games in the fourth period.

The Hornets can’t afford to keep blowing big leads, not only because the losses are piling up, but also because it is a big hit to their morale and confidence. This team looks like they don’t think they can close out games most of the time so a close win would do them loads of good.

Matchup to Watch:

Frank Kaminsky vs Willie Cauley-Stein

With Cody Zeller out, Kaminsky has played well as the starting center for Charlotte. While he has added a scoring punch, his defense and rebounding have been missing at times. That can’t be the case in this one as WCS is a monster on the glass and inside.

Next: Hornets Sign Johnny O'Bryant III to 10-Day Deal

Cauley-Stein is coming off of a career-best game in his last outing where he scored 29 points to go along with 10 rebounds. With Cousins gone, Willie is getting an opportunity to not only start but get a majority of the minutes at center for Sacramento. It will be an interesting matchup between two of the top-10 picks in the 2015 NBA Draft.

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