Stung In Charlotte: Fox, Kings Fall To Shorthanded Hornets
Dec 10, 2021, 6:55 PM | Updated: 7:37 pm
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Friday’s loss in Charlotte was one that the Sacramento Kings will want to quickly forget
There are a million ways to lose an NBA basketball game, but Friday night’s loss for the Sacramento Kings ranks among the worst ways to do so.
De’Aaron Fox went to the line with 2.4 seconds left with a chance to win the game, but the star guard missed both attempts as the Kings lost an absolute heart-breaker to a very short-handed Charlotte Hornets team, losing by final of 124-123–the second-straight game that the Kings have allowed 120 points or more.
Sacramento (11-15) has not defeated Charlotte on the road since January 28, 2017 and has now lost five-straight games at the Spectrum Center.
The Kings picked up right where they left off on Wednesday night by playing little-to-no defense in the first quarter.
While Charlotte was missing six players due to COVID-19 Health & Safety protocols, the Kings looked like the ones playing shorthanded as the Hornets scored 37 points in the first quarter–26 of those points coming in the paint.
After trailing by nine points with 2:39 remaining in the quarter, the Sacramento ended the period on a 13-5 run to cut the deficit to 37-36 heading into the second.
Buddy Hield scored 13 points in the first half, the most points that the veteran guard has scored in a game since November 28th (14 points). Sacramento’s lead grew as large as 55-45 before the Hornets corrected their course to trim the Kings lead to 71-69 at the halftime break.
Allowing 69 points in a half to a team that is missing almost half of its active roster is not an ideal situation.
Charlotte shot 60-percent from the field and hammered Sacramento in the paint, outscoring the Kings 44-26 from the inside over the first two quarters of play. Having scored 213 points over their last six quarters, offense was not an issue for this Kings team. Getting stops would need to be the key in the second half.
The defense stepped up early in the third quarter as the Kings went on a 12-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 83-71.
As we have come to know about Sacramento is that no lead is safe, as the Hornets erased the double-digit lead with a 27-16 run to end the period. For what seemed like the 100th time this season, the Kings entered the fourth quarter with a slim one-possession lead.
Charlotte quickly jumped out to a 109-101 lead with just under nine minutes remaining to immediately apply pressure to the Kings. An electrifying Terence Davis jam cut the deficit to 116-113 with 3:45 to go, setting the stage for a nail-biting ending at the Spectrum Center.
Davis’ big fourth quarter continued with back-to-back scores–one being an even bigger dunk than the first–to trim Charlotte’s lead to 120-119 with just over a minute remaining in regulation.
A go-ahead jumper from Fox would be erased by Cody Martin’s triple to give the Hornets a 123-121 lead, but Fox was fouled on the next possession and sunk two free-throws to tie the game at 123-123 with 20 seconds left.
After a successful challenge from Kings head coach Alvin Gentry, a three-point play from Martin was erased, with the Hornets guard instead being awarded two free-throws after a shooting foul on Terence Davis was overturned to an on-the-floor foul.
Martin converted one free-throw to give Charlotte a 124-123 lead with 5.5 seconds remaining, giving the Kings one last chance to tie or win the game.
Charlotte made a mental error as De’Aaron Fox was fouled in transition as if it was a foul-to-give situation with two seconds remaining. The Hornets were over the foul limit, giving Fox a chance to win the game. After beginning the night a perfect eight-of-eight from the foul line, the Kings guard missed both free-throws in devastating fashion.
Marvin Bagley III nearly tipped in the game-winner off of the miss, but the shot would not fall and Sacramento’s three-game losing streak came to a close.
“I’m very disappointed because I wanted the ball in my hands,” Fox said postgame. “They took the foul and you want to punish a team for making a mistake like that. I missed them. There’s nothing I can do about it now.”
This one is tough to put into words.
The Sacramento defense has been abysmal as of late, with the Kings having allowed 110 points in seven of their previous nine games. Fox missing his free-throw’s will be the main storyline tonight, a scapegoat for a team that allowed 124 points to a Hornets team that was missing seven players.
Another costly loss for this Kings team due to poor defense and poor execution down the stretch.
Rounding Out The Box Score
De’Aaron Fox topped the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season, scoring 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter. The two missed free-throws will be the main storyline for tonight’s game, but Fox acted as Sacramento’s lifeline in the fourth up until that point.
Tyrese Haliburton did his best Swiss Army knife impression once again on Friday night.
The sophomore guard knocked down five triples for the second-consecutive game, tallying 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals over 36 minutes.
The resurgence of Marvin Bagley III continued in Charlotte as the forward posted his second double-double of the season with a 15-point, 10-rebounds performance on seven-of-12 shooting from the field.
Terence Davis continues to cement himself as a cog in this Kings rotation. The young guard has scored 13 points or more in six of his last seven appearances after posting 19 points in the loss.
Injury Updates
- Richaun Holmes suffered a blow to the face from Magic center Mo Bamba during a shot attempt midway through the second quarter. The 28-year-old immediately exited the game with a bloodied face and went to the Kings locker room. Holmes will miss the next two games after having a right eye laceration repaired and is expected to be re-evaluated on Monday.
- Moe Harkless (knee soreness) returned to action on Friday after a five-game absence.
Coming Up
Sacramento will play the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday afternoon when they face an up-and-coming Cleveland Cavaliers team that is currently among the top-six teams in the Eastern Conference standings.
Last season, the Kings swept a two-game set against the Cavs, with the most recent game taking place on March 27th at Golden 1 Center. Harrison Barnes capped off an incredible full-court inbound pass from De’Aaron Fox with a turnaround, fadeaway, buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Kings an exhilarating 100-98 win.
Sacramento has not lost to Cleveland since December 6, 2017 and has won five-straight games in the head-to-head series over that timespan.
Be sure to get all of your Kings vs Cavs coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK starting with pregame coverage at 3:30pm PST on Game Night prior to a 5:00pm PST tip-off from Cleveland.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
- December 11th @ Cleveland Cavaliers
- December 13th @ Toronto Raptors
- December 15th vs Washington Wizards
- December 17th vs Memphis Grizzlies
- December 19th vs San Antonio Spurs
