Kings roll past slumping Hornets

Keegan Murray scored 21 of his 25 points in the first half and Domantas Sabonis racked up 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings avenged a stunning loss last week by defeating the host Charlotte Hornets 123-98 on Wednesday night.

The Kings rode hot shooting and multiple 3-pointers from four players.

Malik Monk had 20 points off the bench and De'Aaron Fox added 19 points for the Kings, who began a five-game road trip by winning a night earlier at Detroit.

Murray, who drilled 11 of 18 shots from the floor, and Fox each connected on three 3-pointers. Sabonis also had a team-leading seven assists in just 28 minutes. Sacramento shot 51.7 percent from the floor.

The Hornets have lost 14 of their last 15 games, the lone victory in that stretch coming in Sacramento on Jan. 2. They've lost three straight, including the last two at home. Charlotte scored only 18 fourth-quarter points Wednesday night.

Miles Bridges paced Charlotte with 24 points and Terry Rozier poured in 22 points. Brandon Miller tallied 15 points with four 3-pointers and Nick Smith Jr. finished with 11 points.

The Kings, who've won four of five games since losing to the Hornets, led 71-59 at halftime, shooting 61.4 percent from the field.

The teams combined for 20 3-point baskets in the first half, with the Kings hitting 11. Charlotte shot 50 percent from the floor in the half but couldn't keep up.

Sacramento outscored the Hornets in all four quarters. The Kings began the fourth quarter on an 18-8 run to pretty much negate any chance of a Charlotte comeback.

Charlotte finished the game with 16 3-pointers compared to 13 by Sacramento.

—Field Level Media