Kings 101, Hornets 91
Kings 101, Hornets 91: Rudy Gay had 33 points and nine rebounds as host Sacramento beat Charlotte for the second time in 10 days.
Derrick Williams added 13 points off the bench for Sacramento, which had lost four in a row and eight of nine with the only win in that span coming against the Hornets. Omri Casspi was the other player in double figures for the Kings, scoring 10 points, and Reggie Evans grabbed 16 rebounds in a reserve role as leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins missed his second straight game with a right calf strain.
Gerald Henderson scored 20 points and Kemba Walker added 18 points and four steals to lead Charlotte, which remains a half-game behind the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Al Jefferson scored 11 of his 17 points in the game’s first eight minutes and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished with 13 points and seven rebounds for the Hornets, who never led.
The Hornets scored the first five points of the second quarter to pull within 27-25 but couldn’t wrestle the lead from Sacramento. Williams and Andre Miller followed with 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to surge back ahead by eight and the reserves maintained the advantage until the starters began checking back in and extended the lead to 11 at the half.
The Hornets scored the first six points of the second half to draw within five and Henderson’s three-point play minutes later made it a three-point game, but Sacramento responded with a 10-2 run to go back up by double digits. The Kings carried an 11-point lead into the fourth and kept the Hornets from getting any closer than six the rest of the way.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Hornets, who came in averaging a league-low 11.9 turnovers, finished with 13 giveaways compared to 22 for Sacramento. … Hornets F Cody Zeller returned after missing the last four games with a shoulder injury and scored one point in 19 minutes as a starter. … Gay came in averaging 26.4 points in his last eight games.