The Charlotte Hornets make their way to California’s capital tonight to take on the struggling Sacramento Kings who are desperate for a victory.
The Sacramento Kings face off against the Charlotte Hornets just twice per year, but some of their matchups have ended up being some of the Kings’ most important games in the last few seasons.
In early 2016, the Kings were enjoying one of their best seasons in years, and were in playoff contention for the first time in what seemed like forever.
The team entered their January 25th game against the Hornets having enjoyed their best three-week stretch of the season. They had won 8 of their last 11 games including five in a row, and found themselves as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. The game against the Hornets was supposed to be a somewhat-easy victory, and Vegas had Sacramento listed as an 8-point favorite.
Things didn’t go the Kings’ way, despite DeMarcus Cousins’ monster performance of 56 points and Rajon Rondo’s 20 assists and 10 rebounds. Scoring for the Hornets was evenly distributed, including a then-career-high for Troy Daniels who scored 28 points on 8 of 11 shooting from deep.
The Kings came up short in a double-overtime heartbreaker that threw them into a tailspin. Sacramento would go on to lose 16 of their next 21 games and never sniffed the playoffs again.
Current Matchup
That brings us to tonight’s game. The Kings have gotten off to a horrific start in a season full of expectations and are in desperate need of a victory. Not only would a win be beneficial for Sacramento in the standings, but for a boost of confidence as well. The team has a handful of winnable games over the next two weeks and getting off to a good start against Charlotte will be of the utmost importance.
The Hornets are 1-3, their lone win coming in their season opener with a one-point victory over the Chicago Bulls. They have since lost games by 22, 19, and 15 point margins, albeit against tough Western Conference opponents. Charlotte will play the Warriors in San Francisco on Saturday to wrap up their early road trip.
The Sacramento Kings are looking for something positive that they can hang their hats on and get the season turned around with, and a game against one of the least-talented rosters in the NBA might be just what the doctor ordered.