The Sacramento Kings are no longer the worst team in the league after beating the Indiana Pacers last night on the back of a career Devin Carter performance. Can they do it again against a Hornets team that’s been on a roll?
Who: Sacramento Kings (16-50) vs. Charlotte Hornets (33-33)
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
When: 7:00 PM PT / 10:00 PM ET
Watch: NBCSCA / League Pass
The Hornets might just be the surprise of the NBA season, as they’re firmly in the playoff hunt in the East which actually happens to be a tighter race this year than out here in the West. Charlotte has won 7 of 11 games since the All-Star break, and they had won 10 of 11 right before the break as well. A big reason for their improvement this year has been the play of potential rookie of the year Kon Knueppel, who is averaging 19.2 points and shooting 43.8% from three on 8 attempts a game. Knueppel has already broken Keegan Murray’s record for three pointers made as a rookie with 16 games left to go.
The Hornets are led in scoring by former 2nd overall pick Brandon Miller at 20.7 points a game, and LaMelo Ball isn’t far behind at 19. points and 7.2 assists. Charlotte’s a team that likes to shoot a ton of threes and they’re really good at making them, ranking 3rd in the league in both attempts and percentage.
This is going to be much more a challenge than last night’s game, but if the Kings win they’ll have won five of their last nine. Last night’s hero was Devin Carter, who scored 22 of his career-high 24 points in the 4th quarter alone. Whatever the case, hopefully the young guys continue to get plenty of run.
Prediction: Hornets 133, Kings 116