LaVine erupts for 42 points as Kings secure bounce-back win

A brutal March schedule awaits the Sacramento Kings, meaning they must take care of business against sub-500 teams during the final stretch if they want to keep their postseason hopes afloat.

On the heels of Friday’s disappointing showing against their Northern California rival Golden State Warriors, the Kings needed to bounce back–and prove that they could do it with ease–against the struggling Charlotte Hornets on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.

In Sacramento’s last home game for almost two weeks, the Kings applied pressure early and never looked back during a 130-88 win over Charlotte.

Zach LaVine put on an absolute shooting clinic during the win, scoring a season-high 42 points on eight-of-nine shooting from deep to become the third player in franchise history to score 40 or more points on at least eight made triples in a single game.

Sacramento (29-28) jumped back over the .500 mark and moved within one game of the ninth-seed Warriors with 25 games remaining on the regular season schedule.

ZACH LAVINE IS GOING OFF 🔥

He hits four 3s in less than 2 minutes…

And is up to 42 PTS with 18 in the 4th 🤯 pic.twitter.com/H5vRCnanuW

— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025

Kings vs. Hornets recap & takeaways

There were whispers that Sacramento head coach Doug Christie contemplated changing his starting lineup on Monday night, but there were no surprises when the lineup sheets were distributed in the minutes leading into tip-off.

Keon Ellis, who has been the Kings’ best defender this season, may not have been inserted into the starting group, but the third-year guard made his presence known early.

Ellis continued to prove his ‘three-and-D’ label is an accurate assessment of his game by knocking down two triples in his first sixty seconds of playing time to help pace a Sacramento offense that caught fire early. The Kings finished the first quarter seven of 12 (58%) from deep, with Ellis and Zach LaVine (10 points in the quarter) leading a 34-23 opening frame for the Beam Team.

Sacramento’s red-hot three-point shooting was the story of the first half, as Charlotte could only watch the Kings offense knock down look after look from the perimeter.

Four players (Ellis, LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk) knocked down at least two triples during the first half, but LaVine was the go-to-threat for Sacramento, scoring 22 points on eight-of-nine shooting from the field (four-of-four from deep) during the first half.

With LaVine and the rest of the Kings offense dialed in from long distance (57% as a team during the first half), Sacramento was firmly in the driver’s seat as they took a 65-45 lead into the break.

The Chicago connection 🤝

pic.twitter.com/GNsE5SpcqI

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 25, 2025

The Hornets refused to go away quietly as play entered the second half, opening the third quarter on a 14-5 run that trimmed a 20-point deficit to 11 as the Kings struggled to find the bottom of the net on the offensive end.

Sacramento’s lead slipped into single-digits before Trey Lyles–who didn’t enter the game during the first half–knocked down a big tripe near the end of the period to stop the bleeding. Seconds later, LaVine would finish a fast-break opportunity to put the Kings up 16 heading into the fourth as it appeared disaster had been avoided.

Once the game entered the fourth quarter, LaVine put things away for good.

LaVine, who had struggled from deep to start his Sacramento tenure (26% over seven games), was unconscious in the fourth, going four-of-four from three-point land en route to an 18-point period. Each made triple sent a sold-out crowd at Golden 1 Center into a frenzy, with the final triple causing Charlotte to call for a timeout.

The Kings dominated the final frame, outscoring the Hornets 42-16 while shooting 64 percent from the field and holding Charlotte to four-of-20 (20%) shooting on their end of the floor.

Sacramento looked shaky for most of the third quarter, but LaVine’s bucket at the end of the period eased some tension and set the stage for his thrilling final act.

“I just kept telling the whole game to shoot it,” DeRozan said of his former Bulls teammate’s red-hot night from the field–and shoot it, he did.

LaVine became just the third player in Kings franchise history to score 40 or more points while making eight or more triples in a single game, joining Keegan Murray (2023) and Buddy Hield (2019 & 2020).

Zach LaVine goes OFF for 42 PTS (most as a King) on 84.2 FG% in the @SacramentoKings win! 😤 pic.twitter.com/k4jvIUcluS

— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025

While the individual numbers jump off the page for LaVine–42 points on 16-of-19 shooting from the field is undoubtedly an impressive feat–the most important stat is the addition to the ‘W’ column.

Sacramento is in a furious race for a postseason spot with 25 games remaining and the NBA’s second-hardest remaining strength of schedule staring them in the face the rest of the way. Securing a stress-free win over Charlotte was a must, and now the Kings will relish in the victory before heading out on a four-game road trip.

Lowly opponent or not, Christie pointed to his team’s playmaking during the win. Sacramento finished with 30 assists, a benchmark that the former Kings guard wants to see his squad reach on a nightly basis.

One game removed from a season-high 24 turnovers against the Warriors, Sacramento still had too many mishaps (18 turnovers), which Christie said is “unacceptable” and needs to change going forward.

Outside of the turnovers, it was a well-rounded effort for the Kings, who shot 54 percent from the field, 52 percent from deep, won the battle of the boards (49-38), and battle of the paint (50-38).

Sacramento is now 5-1 when scoring 130+ points this season and 11-2 (.846) when shooting 40+ percent from three-point range. Good things happen when the offense is firing on all cylinders, and if LaVine can even remotely replicate this type of production down the final stretch, the Kings will be in a much better spot come April.

Injury Update

Keon Ellis exited the game during the first half after coming down on Hornets center Jusuf Nurkic’s foot. Ellis, who injured his right ankle, did not return. When asked about Ellis’s status, Doug Christie said the team would see how Ellis feels on Tuesday, adding that the hope is that it’s nothing serious that will keep the defensive specialist sidelined.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

The Sacramento Kings will embark on a four-game road trip that begins on Wednesday night against the lowly Utah Jazz.

Sacramento is looking for a clean four-game regular season series sweep of the Jazz after winning the first three games against Utah this season, including a 141-97 throttling at Golden 1 Center on December 8th.

Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Utah Jazz drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 6:00 PM PT from downtown Salt Lake City.

Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings

• Wednesday, February 26th – @ Utah Jazz – 6:00 PM PT
• Saturday, March 1st – @ Houston Rockets – 5:00 PM PT
• Monday, March 3rd – @ Dallas Mavericks – 5:30 PM PT
• Wednesday, March 5th – @ Denver Nuggets – 6:00 PM PT
• Friday, March 7th – vs. San Antonio Spurs – 7:00 PM PT

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