Three Takeaways As Kings Fall to Hornets, DeRozan's Monster Night

Everyone who was worried the Kings would finish the season on an 18-game winning streak can rest easy. After winning their last two games against the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers, Sacramento couldn't keep pace with the red hot Charlotte Hornets tonight, falling 117-109.

It was a competitive game, but the Hornets took control in the fourth and never let up, as they won their 18th game in 23 tries.

The Kings did well to make keep the game in striking distance, as they had more than half of their roster out with injury for the night. But thanks to DeMar DeRozan, they were able to keep up with the Hornets, even with Charlotte outscoring the Kings by 33 points beyond the arc.

Here are three takeaways as the Kings fall to 16-51 on the season.

Vintage DeMar DeRozan

After missing the Bulls game with an illness and still looking a little off last night against the Pacers, DeRozan had a nounce back game tonight against the Hornets. He finished the night with a game-high 39 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block in just under 41 minutes of action. And it wasn't just the numbers, but his hyper-efficient 17-of-22 shooting from the field, and perfect 5-of-5 from the line, that impressed.

The Kings didn't have much of an offensive game plan tonight. They pretty much relied on getting out in transition, or running the ball through DeRozan. And they did it over, and over, and over again. And credit to DeRozan, who hit tough shots all night long and found ways to get to his spots. That's not easy to do, especially when the defense knows exactly what action you're going to run.

Can't Keep Up

Mar 11, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) between plays against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

While DeRozan turned back the clock and had a hall-of-fame worthy performance, the fact remains that the Kings just can't keep up from beyond the arc. They made juse eight threes tonight on 25 attempts. That's once again both a poor percentage (32%) and low volume.

Yes, they had to run the ball through DeRozan, but it's been clear that the Kings need more three-point shooting all season. No matter how far we get into the bench, that still remains true. Though, shoutout to Doug McDermott for coming in and getting up seven attempts in extended action.

There are a lot of question marks surrounding the Kings this offseason, but one thing that is certain is that Scott Perry needs to add shooters to this roster as soon as possible.

Raynaud's Quiet Night

There were still a lot of positive takeaways, from Nique Clifford's bounce back game to Daeqwon Plowden continuing to impress, but what else stood out was the quiet game from Maxime Raynaud.

He finished with just four points, six rebounds, and two assists in just under 25 minutes. He's been on a tear lately, so a return to the mean type of game was due, but that's a significant dip from what we've seen from the rookie big man of late. He only took three field goal attempts all game, but did have three blocks, which is a skill he's reportedly been working on.

A big part of that is likely the absence of Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk. They are the two main ball handlers on the team, and the two that run the pick and roll the most effectively. That's been Raynaud's bread and butter lately, especially with Westbrook.