Kings beat Hornets 125-102 to maintain hold on 10th spot in the West
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Zach LaVine had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Domantas Sabonis added 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and the Sacramento Kings rolled past the Charlotte Hornets 125-102 on Friday night to remain in 10th place in the Western Conference standings.
DeMar DeRozan added 22 points to help the Kings win for only the second time in their last nine games.
Sabonis was on pace for his 68th career triple-double before leaving the game with three minutes left in the third quarter after taking a knee to his right thigh. He did not return for his normal rotation in the third quarter with the Kings well in control and the team did not announce any injury.
Miles Bridges had 22 points, and Moussa Diabate added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets.
The Kings held a 1/2-game lead over Phoenix Suns for the final spot in the play-in tournament entering the game and wasted little time with the injury-riddled Hornets. Sacramento built a 19-point lead at halftime behind Sabonis, who had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists at the break.
Takeaways
Kings: Malik Monk scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting off the bench against his former team.
Hornets: Bridges was the only opening night starter still on the floor for Charlotte. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller have already been ruled out for the season, and were joined on the bench by Mark Williams (thoracic muscle spasms) and Josh Green (shoulder soreness).
After falling behind 10-4 early, the Kings closed the first quarter on a 22-8 run to take control of the game and were never seriously challenged again.
Key stat
Charlotte's starters were 5 of 24 from 3-point range.
Up next
Both teams are in action Sunday with the Kings visiting the Cavaliers and the Hornets hosting the Bulls.
____
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
JJ Redick saw Tyrese Haliburton's potential three years ago
JJ Redick saw Tyrese Haliburton's potential three years ago Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers has been a rising star for some time now, but over the last several weeks, he has become perhaps as dangerous a player as there is in the NBA. During the regular season, there were quite a few people who thought he was overrated, and he wasn't even named to this year's All-Star team. But he has exploded during the playoffs and hit a number of clutch and game-winning shots, including the dagger he nailed just before time expired in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick may have seen at least some of this coming. In February 2022, when the Sacramento Kings traded Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers along with Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb, Redick said point-blank that Haliburton was the best player on the Kings. "This is some form of malpractice on the Kings' part," Redick said of the trade. "... Tyrese Haliburton has been the best player on that team. ... He was determined to turn things around and be part of that rebuild in Sacramento. I know he's shocked right now, but they traded away their best player." The Kings took Haliburton with the No. 12 pick in the 2020 draft, and at the time, he was starting in their backcourt alongside De'Aaron Fox. Fox was putting up much better scoring numbers, and to this day, he has continued to average more points than Haliburton, but Haliburton has been the better 3-point shooter, passer and facilitator. Haliburton led the NBA in assists per game last season, and he now has Indiana just three wins away from an NBA championship. Meanwhile, Sacramento made the playoffs in 2023 as the third seed in the Western Conference but has failed to reach the playoffs in both of the last two seasons.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
LeBron James Gets Real On What Makes The Thunder So Dangerous
LeBron James Gets Real On What Makes The Thunder So Dangerous originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Ahead of Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals, LeBron James opened up on what makes the reigning Western Conference champs such a challenge to defeat. In a segment on the 'Mind the Game' podcast, James gave a detailed scouting report of OKC, detailing their key strengths as a unit. Advertisement "They have the ability to play two bigs, two mobile bigs," said James. "Then they have the ability to go small and play smaller with a lineup that's just super fast, super agitating, super quick. Rudy Gobert, as big as he is, Nikola Jokic, as big as he is, they [the Thunder] get offensive rebounds and it's like a swarm. You see guys jumping on their backs, guys coming up from underneath and stripping the ball. Once they get a strip and they're off to the races, that's their game. You turn the ball over versus OKC and it's going to be a layup or a dunk. They don't fear size. They have them dogs, they have them athletic guys, and then they have the intelligence." LeBron saw the Thunder up close during three regular-season matchups this season. OKC won two of the three, including a 16-point win at home on April 8. Against the Thunder, James averaged 19.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, a clear indication that their defense had him figured out. Despite their youth and inexperience, the Thunder secured the top seed in the West with the league's best record (68-14), and now they are on track to win their first NBA championship in franchise history. With series wins over the Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Timberwolves, the Thunder have one last obstacle to endure before they achieve ultimate success. While the Pacers will no doubt provide a major challenge, the Thunder are well-equipped to handle the pressure, and LeBron James himself has been impressed with their growth. On the court, the Thunder have developed their chemistry to work seamlessly together, and every player gives their maximum effort on both ends of the floor. Advertisement Between the length and skill of Chet Holmgren, the leadership of Shai, and the depth provided by Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, and others, the Thunder are easily the deepest team in the league, and they play with an air of confidence that demands they be taken seriously. The versatility of their roster allows the Thunder to adapt to any situation and tweak their rotation for every matchup. In the playoffs this year, we've seen their versatility in full display with dominance in just about every category on the court. For the Thunder, it's all led up to this moment: a chance to win the NBA Finals and bring home a championship. With history at stake, these next few games will be crucial for the Thunder and may determine their course of action in the coming offseason. With talks about a potential trade for Kevin Durant, things are bound to get interesting in Oklahoma City this summer, but they don't need any major moves to continue their current trajectory. With their core still young and yet to hit their prime, the Thunder dynasty is only just beginning, and LeBron James knows what they've built is special. Related: How Sam Presti Really Constructed 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fox Sports
8 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Joveljic and Sporting Kansas City visit Los Angeles FC
Associated Press Sporting Kansas City (4-8-4, 13th in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles FC (6-4-5, seventh in the Western Conference) Los Angeles; Sunday, 9 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: LAFC -232, Sporting Kansas City +519, Draw +376; over/under is 3.5 goals BOTTOM LINE: Dejan Joveljic leads Sporting Kansas City into a matchup with Los Angeles FC fresh off of a two-goal outing against the Houston Dynamo. LAFC is 5-4-4 in Western Conference play. LAFC is 10th in the league with 79 shots on goal, averaging 5.3 per game. Sporting KC is 4-6-3 against Western Conference teams. Sporting KC is 1-4-0 when it scores a single goal. The matchup Sunday is the second meeting this season between the two teams. LAFC won the last game 2-0. TOP PERFORMERS: Denis Bouanga has seven goals and three assists for LAFC. Cengiz Under has scored two goals over the last 10 games. Joveljic has nine goals and one assist for Sporting KC. Daniel Salloi has scored three goals over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: LAFC: 3-2-5, averaging 2.1 goals, 5.9 shots on goal and 4.5 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.6 goals per game. Sporting KC: 4-3-3, averaging 1.9 goals, 4.4 shots on goal and 3.3 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.6 goals per game. NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: LAFC: Lorenzo Dellavalle (injured), Odin Thiago Holm (injured). Sporting KC: Jake Davis (injured), Robert Voloder (injured), Dany Rosero (injured), Nemanja Radoja (injured). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. recommended
