Kings at Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets finished off a 2-4 road trip with a win at the San Antonio Spurs on an emotional night for reserve point guard Tony Parker. The Hornets will try to find similar success at home when they host the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
Parker, who spent the first 17 seasons of his career with the Spurs before signing with Charlotte as a free agent last summer, contributed eight points, four assists and three rebounds in 19 minutes in Monday's 108-93 win. "Draining mentally, emotionally, it was just an awesome night," Parker told reporters after the Hornets' 108-93 triumph. "Just want to thank the fans. The way they reacted tonight was just unbelievable. Love, and I appreciate everything. It was just a great memory and a great night for me that I will cherish for the rest of my life." The Kings already have the formula to beat the Hornets after claiming a 104-97 home victory on Saturday. Sacramento followed that up with a 115-107 home triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday but is hitting the road on Thursday for the beginning of a six-game strip while owning a 9-11 record away from home.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), FS Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE KINGS (23-21): Sacramento showed off the depth of its young team with six players scoring in double figures and none scoring more than Buddy Hield's 19 points in Monday's triumph. The Kings are looking for consistent production out of power forward Marvin Bagley III, who collected a total of 24 points and 20 rebounds over the last two games as he works his way back into shape following nearly three weeks out with a knee injury. Point guard De'Aaron overcame a rough shooting night by handing out nine assists against the Trail Blazers and is averaging 17.9 points and 7.3 assists in his second season.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (20-23): Charlotte coach James Borrego, who was making his own homecoming after serving as a member of San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich's staff, was pleased that his team managed to find a way to end the road trip on a high note. "It was a tough road trip, we knew that," Borrego told reporters. "We had some good moments and some tough games against some very good teams. I'm proud of our guys. This is a good team right here and they stuck with it. This is a tough game right here - not only the opponent but the last game before you go home. Guys can start thinking about going home and get lost in the moment, but they stuck with it. I was proud of their effort tonight." Star guard Kemba Walker scored 33 points on Monday after pouring in 31 in the loss at Sacramento.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hield is shooting 44.4 percent from long range on the season and is 7-of-14 over the last two contests.
2. The Hornets are 6-15 on the road but own a 14-8 record at home.
3. Sacramento's last win at Charlotte was a 109-106 decision on Jan. 28, 2017.