CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Hornets pulled out a dramatic win in the final seconds of the game Friday night vs the Sacramento Kings with a 124-123 win.
The Kings and Hornets got off to a fast start on the offensive end of the floor but did it in different ways. Sacramento picked up where they left off in the last matchup against Charlotte by hitting seven threes in the opening 12 minutes.
Despite being without P.J. Washington, Mason Plumlee, and Nick Richards, the Hornets took control of the paint early scoring 26 of their first 37 points of the night from inside. Getting the ball to the rim led to a lot of high percentage shots paving the way for the Hornets to shoot 59% from the floor. Cody Martin led all scorers through one with 11 points. Vernon Carey got the start at center and got involved early notching five quick points and a rebound. Miles Bridges had a strong take to the cup and drew the and one to extend the Hornets lead to 37-28 but a pair of threes and a buzzer-beater by Davion Mitchell cut it to just one, 37-36.
The second quarter had a lot of similarities but the roles were flipped. The Kings got out to a double-digit lead but the Hornets closed the gap to just two before the half, 71-69. Sacramento carried that momentum into the opening minutes of the second to go on a 12-4 run and take a 48-41 lead. Head coach James Borrego called a timeout but the Hornets turned it right back over once play resumed and Davion Mitchell drained a three, extending the lead to ten. Gordon Hayward was aggressive from the seven-minute mark on and made a handful of mid-range jumpers and finished under the basket on a few other possessions to help the Hornets claw back into it. Rookie James Bouknight hit a three which was followed up by a steal and fastbreak dunk by Cody Martin to give the Hornets a brief lead. With five seconds remaining, Bouknight was called for a foul on De’Aaron Fox which gave the Kings a 71-69 edge at the break.
Miles Bridges got the Hornets fans to their feet early in the third with a ferocious alley-oop to knot the game at 71 apiece. However, that would be the last bucket Charlotte would score for the next three minutes. Tyrese Haliburton hit a couple of threes, leading the Kings to a 12-2 run out of the gate. Borrego called timeout and this time, the Hornets responded and got right back in it. Bouknight gained some confidence after seeing back-to-back triples go in and picked up ten points in the quarter. Bridges made it a one-point game with two buckets inside the paint to close out the third, making the score 99-98 Sacramento.
Bouknight gave the Hornets the lead with two more threes to open up the quarter. Bridges also connected from deep to give the Hornets their largest lead since the first quarter, 109-101. A few possessions later, Bridges drove to the basket and whipped a pass over his right shoulder to Kelly Oubre at the top of the key for a three, pushing the Hornets’ lead back to two scores. Terrance Davis threw down a powerful dunk from just outside of the lane and laid in an easy layup to cut it to 120-119. On the next trip up the floor, Fox hit a mid-range jumper from the elbow to put the Kings on top. Cody Martin answered with a three to get the lead back. Fox was able to tie the game at 123-123 after being fouled by JT Thor. The Hornets looked like they were going to leave the game in Gordon Hayward’s hands but after the ball was poked into the backcourt, Cody Martin became the hero of the night with a tough finish at the rim that also drew a foul. However, the Kings challenged the bucket and somehow, it was wiped off the board but Martin still went to the free-throw line for two shots. Martin missed the first but made the second to give the Hornets a one-point lead with less than five seconds. Martin then fouled Fox with two seconds left who shoots 72% from the line but he missed both and the Hornets were able to hold on for the 124-123 win.
The Hornets will be back in action on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks to begin a long six-game road trip. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m.
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