The Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier right drives the lane on the Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) in first quarter action at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Tue Jan 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Tuesday night in Sacramento. The Kings lost a tough one to Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday after returning from a quick road trip. The Kings last played on Sunday in Memphis.

The Kings defeated the Grizzlies to finish the road trip 2-1. On Tuesday, the Hornets came into Golden One Center ready for tip-off at 7 PM PST. The Kings would fall to the Hornets 111-104 in shocking fashion on Tuesday night.

In the first quarter, the Kings played terribly. The Kings offense was off from the jump, and they were really never able to get it going. On the other hand, the Hornets were able to get a bit going towards the end of the quarter as they scored 25 points. The Kings scored 21 points in the quarter.

In the second quarter, the offense came alive a bit, but it still wasn’t up to par. The Kings got their first contributions from De’Aaron Fox in the second quarter, as he scored nine points. The Kings would outscore the Hornets 29-20 in the second quarter to take the lead into the break.

The Kings would lead 50-45 going into halftime. The leading scorer for the Kings was Domantas Sabonis, who had 13 points. Leading scorer for the Hornets in the first half was Terry Rozier, who scored 15 points.

In the third quarter, neither team differentiated themselves much. The Kings and Hornets traded baskets in the third as the Hornets were able to cut the deficit by two points. The Hornets outscored the Kings 30-28. The game would go into the fourth quarter with the Kings leading 78-75.

In the fourth quarter of action, the Kings meltdown materialized in defeat. The Hornets outscored the Kings in the fourth quarter 36-26 to seal the deal and snap their 11 game losing streak. The Kings fans in attendance were stunned in defeat as Las Vegas had the Kings as 15.5 point favorites going into the game.

The Kings could never get a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball all game. The Kings were led in defeat by Fox who scored 30 points in the game. The Hornets snapped their losing streak behind a 34 point performance from Rozier.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Orlando Magic on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday at 7 PM PST.