Sacramento Kings (15-23, 6-11) at Charlotte Hornets (19-18, 11-8)
- Time: 4PM PST – 6PM CST – 7PM EST
- Place: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
- TV: NBC Sports California | Fox Sports Southeast
Opening Tip
Life is a struggle right now in SacTown for the Kings as they started a six-game road trip with a 121-106 loss in Atlanta on Saturday night. The Kings are 3-3 over their last six games after snapping a nine-game losing streak with a win in Detroit on Feb. 26.
Charlotte has won three in a row and four our of five as they have risen to No. 6 in the Eastern Conference and the Hornets are one game behind the Miami Heat for fourth place.
Charlotte defeated Sacramento, 127-126, in a thriller in Sacramento on March 1. P.J. Washington led the Hornets with 42 points and Malik Monk pulled the daily double for former Kentucky Wildcats as he converted an and-one for the win. Buddy Hield led the Kings with 30 points as they led 123-115 late, but could not convert as they missed five free throws in the last 1:09 of the game.
Key Injuries
- Sacramento Kings – The Kings have three players that are listed as OUT: Chimezie Metu (wrist); Hasaan Whiteside (quarantine); Robert Woodard, II, (hamstring).
- Charlotte Hornets – None
Kings:
- SacTown in 3-12 ATS in it’s last 15 games
- The OVER has been the play in 11 of Sacramento’s last 14 games
- The Kings are 1-4 ATS vs. Charlotte in the last 5 games
Hornets:
- The OVER has been the play in 9 of the Hornets’ last 12 outings
- Charlotte is 6-1 SU in their last 7 home games
- The OVER has been the play in 6 of Charlotte’s last 8 games this season
Last Time Out
De’Aaron Fox scored 32 points, but the Sacramento Kings could not overcome a 24-2 run by the Atlanta Hawks in falling 121-106 in Atlanta. The Kings only made 7-of-31 three-pointers while Atlanta shot 51.2 percent from the floor.
LaMelo Ball scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Hornets defeated the Toronto Raptors, 114-104, with the Raptors without five players shelved due to COVID-19 protocols. Malik Monk scored 16 points as they moved about .500 for the first time since Jan. 16.
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings | +3.5 (-108) | +140 | O 239 (-110) |
| Hornets | -3.5 (-112) | -160 | U 239 (-110) |
Advantage, Sacramento
De’Aaron Fox is a scoring machine in leading the Kings at 23.5 points per game and dishing 7.6 assists. Harrison Barnes is efficient in the back court offensively as the makes 49.4 percent of his shots while Buddy Hield is the Kings’ leading three-point marksmen for Sacramento. This triplicate puts pressure on perimeter defenses and Charlotte is last in the NBA in allowing three-point attempts as they give up 40.7 per game and it’s 37.3 percentage is 21st in the league.
Key Kings Stat
The Kings can go 4-out, 1-in with either Marvin Bagley or Richaun Holmes in the middle. Holmes doessn’t step out on the perimeter, but Bagley has developed a three-ball as he shoots 36.6 percent from three while Homes is tough around the basket in making 65.1 percent of his shots.
X-Factor
Tyrese Haliburton should be inside of the NBA Rookie-of-the-Year talks. He was the Rookie-of-the-Month for February as he made 51.3 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from three. He averaged 32 minutes per game off the bench.
Advantage, Charlotte
Sacramento coach Luke Walton once again lamented the woes of the Kings’ defense after Saturday night’s loss to the Hawks. Now they face the Hornets’ who have different styles and ways to come at any defenses. You have to start with Gordon Hayward in the middle, but the guards and the versatility of this roster makes in tougher to defend that just concentrating on Hayward. Terry Rozier (20.3 ppg) has found a home in Charlotte with his three-point game and his skills off the dribble as has Devonte Graham (13.6 ppg) and Malik Monk (13.4 ppg). LaMelo Ball (15.8 ppg) is right there with Haliburton in Rook-of-the-Year convo as he shoots 49.4 percent from the floor and dishes a team-high 6.4 assists.
Simply put, Sacramento’s defense is last in the NBA in defensive field goal percentage (49.1%) and defensive three-point field goal percentage (39.6%).
Key Hornets Stat:
Terry Rozier is checking all the boxes in Charlotte is averaging 3.4 points per game in 14 games played in the clutch and he averages 0.6 triples in clutch situations, according to NBA analytics. He also has 156.0 points per 100 possession in clutch situation, second among NBA players.
X-Factor:
P.J. Washington’s attention to the three-point shot is another weapon on offense as the 6-10 center can step out of the post and make defenses respect him. He has made 46 and is second in rebounding at 6.4 boards per game.
Winner: Hornets (-3.5) 123, Kings 113
