Charlotte Hornets guard LeMelo Ball (1) takes a jump shot against the Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (left) in the first half at Golden 1 in Sacramento on Tue Mar 24, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

It wasn’t pretty! The Sacramento Kings (19-54) were demolished by the Charlotte Hornets (37-34) 134-90. They did come into this game even more beat-up then ever with Russell Westbrook still out, and Nique Clifford and Killian Hayes injured last Sunday.

The Hornets were on fire from beyond the arc draining 26 and many of those three’s were second chance shots. With the playoffs at stake the Hornets had a palpable goal in their sites and they could not be stopped.

Game recap: The Hornets are fighting to move into playoff position. They are currently in tenth place but they are a half game behind the ninth place Heat and a game behind the eighth place Magic.

They certainly have a great chance to make the playoffs making Tuesday night’s game a critical one for Charlotte. Playing at home and with so much at stack they will be tough to contain. They have won their past three games and they are really playing like a playoff bound team right now. They are a three-point shooting team and the Kings will also have that to contend with.

The Hornets came out with a vengence leading after the first 12 minutes of play 34-25 and they were just getting started. It was like a runaway freight train that continued to pick up speed as the game wore on. There was no stopping the Hornets outscoring the Kings in the second quarter 38-22 taking a 72-47 lead at the half.

The Hornets continued their onslaught in the third quarter picking up where they left at the finish of the first half. They outscored Sacramento 41-29. Trailing by so much this game was decided in the third quarter.

The Hornets were on fire from beyond the arc and four of their starters had double digits going into the fourth quarter. Bench player Coby White could not be stopped scoring 27 points after only 18 minutes of play. Charlotte came unleashed from beyond the arc draining 23 triples with over seven minutes left in the game.

At 7:04 left on the clock, the Hornets were leading 124-82. They had punished the Kings in every quarter of this lop-sided game. Sacramento had been beat up offensively and defensively.

The Hornets were closing in on a season high for three’s, their highest 26 and with almost six minutes left in the game they had already drained 24. With two minutes left in the game Charlotte had tied their season high from beyond the arc.

While the Hornets did not break their record for three’s in the game, they certainly made a statement as to their push towards a playoff berth. The final in this game was 134-90 with their largest lead 46 points.

This was sheer disappointment for the Sacramento Kings and a game that they need to put behind them. They struggled from start to finish getting outscored in every quarter. Daeqwon Plowden had the high for the Kings with 22 points. Devin Carter finished with 18 points and Maxime Raynaud with 16 points. The Hornets had their way with Sacramento defensively and offensively.

The high for this game came off the Charlotte bench with Coby White scoring 27 points in only 18 minutes of play, and collectively the Hornet bench scored 61 points. Four of the Hornet starters had double figures. LaMelo Ball had 20 points and Moussa Diabate had a double double, 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Hornets have now won four games in a row.

Game notes: After getting back on the winning track beating the Brooklyn Nets 126-122 on Sunday the Kings headed to Charlotte and took on the Hornets on Tuesday night. While the Kings did win their last game it did come at a cost when both Nique Clifford and Killian Hayes were injured in the game.

Clifford suffered a left ankle injury in the game limping off the court in the fourth quarter. It has been reported that he has a left mid-foot sprain after just returning in the Nets game after a hamstring injury. Killian Hayes was also injured in that game due to a toe injury.

Of course the Kings will not see a post-season but these continued injuries rob the younger players of precious time and experience. Veteran Russell Westbrook was out for the Hornets game with right foot soreness after having missed the Nets game.

Malik Monk and Devin Carter will no doubt see increased backcourt roles in Westbrook’s absence. Precious Achiuwa who has been outstanding is also out with lower back soreness. And so go the injuries for the Sacramento Kings.

Thursday night the Kings travel to Orlando for a matchup with the Orlando Magic. Hopefully the Kings will get some of their injured players back on the court trying to shake off Tuesday night’s game. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Draining triples