Kings Take Care of Business with Blowout Win Over Hornets

After one of the most disappointing losses in recent memory, the Sacramento Kings did exactly what they needed to tonight against the Charlotte Hornets, winning comfortably 125-102.

The Kings came out extremely flat on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, but didn't let history repeat itself against the 19-win Hornets.

Sacramento came out strong, winning the first quarter 26-18 and the second 42-31 to build a 19-point halftime lead.

They used a balanced approach on offense, as Zach LaVine led the team with 25 points, but five players scored in double-digits. Domantas Sabonis and DeRozan joined LaVine over the 20-point mark with 24 and 22 points each, respectfully.

FINAL: Kings defeat the Hornets 125-102.

👑 Zach LaVine: 25 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST
👑 Domantas Sabonis: 24 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST
👑 DeMar DeRozan: 22 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST

Kings Win presented by @RedHawkCasino pic.twitter.com/sF0OBw5cA6
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 5, 2025

It was arguably the Kings' most complete win over the last ten games, as they looked great on both offense and defense. When the threes wasn't falling early, they went inside over and over and won the points in the paint battle 50-42.

Even though the Kings missed their first nine threes, they went on to shoot 16-of-36 (44.4%) from beyond the arc, compared to just 8-of-35 (22.9%) for the Hornets.

Slowing down the Hornets, who came into the game with the 29th ranked offense in the league, may not seem like a great thing, but the Kings just lost to the Washington Wizards who have the worst offense, and let the Orlando Magic, the 27th ranked offense, get comfortable and hot from beyond the arc.

At this point of the season, the Kings need to take advantage of every opportunity they get, and tonight they showed they haven't given up. Their odds of making noise in the playoffs are slim, but this game was a step in the right direction towards a play-in victory or two.

One of the biggest standouts from tonight was Domantas Sabonis, who was questionable before tip-off with his ankle injury. He ended up playing and not only had the aforementioned 24 points, but 11 rebounds and 7 assists on top of it. Seven of those rebounds were on the offensive end, with Charlotte having no way to slow him down.

Sabonis looked aggressive from the jump. He was driving to the hoop, getting physical, and making light work of the Hornets' interior defense. Sabonis isn't always the most aggressive shooter, averaging just 12.8 field goal attempts this season. He finished tonight with 16 attempts, making 9 for 56.3%, but in just 26:37 minutes.

Domantas Sabonis is the first player on either team to reach 20 points. He's also taken the most shots of any player.

Nice to see him in attack mode. Hornets have no answer. pic.twitter.com/SFWlC3hFpu
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) April 5, 2025

Sacramento's offense is filled with scorers and talented playmakers, but they too often go away from Sabonis, especially late in games. Tonight was a reminder of how much Sabonis can bring in the scoring department when he takes more attempts.

The Kings have a tough back-to-back coming up against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, but tonight was a step in the right direction. It would have been easy for them to come out flat after the recent struggles, but they came out fighting, reminding everyone they aren't done yet.

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