Kings at Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets will try to snap a three-game losing streak before beginning a challenging three-game road trip when they host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
The Hornets, who will visit Golden State and Utah on the upcoming swing, rallied late before falling 110-107 at the New York Knicks on Friday. Taking care of the road-weary Kings before its own trip is critical, as Charlotte has lost seven in a row away from home. A recent bright spot for the Hornets was the first-ever All-Star Game selection for guard Kemba Walker, who celebrated by posting 31 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to the Knicks. The Kings fell to 2-3 on their current eight-game trip and have gone to overtime in their last two outings, falling 115-111 in an extra session at Indiana on Friday. The Hornets won both meetings last season, one of which went to overtime and another that required two additional five-minute periods.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), FSN Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE KINGS (18-28): Sacramento led by 16 points midway through the third quarter at Indiana before the hosts came crawling back to deprive the Kings of just their second three-game winning streak of the season. DeMarcus Cousins notched his 11th straight double-double with 26 points and 16 rebounds and Darren Collison tied a season high with 26 points of his own. Cousins scored 30 points at Charlotte early last season and then erupted for a career-high 56 on 21-of-30 shooting in the rematch at home last January.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (23-24): Center Cody Zeller on Friday missed his second game in a row due to a quadriceps injury, giving another start to veteran Roy Hibbert, who managed two points and four rebounds in 18 uneventful minutes against New York. Guard Jeremy Lamb (foot) did not play for the eighth straight time, but he was dressed and available. Nicolas Batum fell an assist shy of a triple-double and is averaging 7.3 assists over a seven-game span.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Walker averaged 31.5 points in the two wins over Sacramento last season.
2. The Kings have a league-high four overtime losses.
3. Sacramento C Kosta Koufos is shooting 65.6 percent in January.