(Sports Network) - The New Orleans Hornets have won six of their last eight
games and welcome the Sacramento Kings to the Big Easy for a Monday afternoon
matinee.
The Hornets lost last time out, a gritty 116-112 defeat to the Golden State
Warriors at home on Saturday night.
Eric Gordon led the way with 23 points, followed by 20 from No. 1 pick Anthony
Davis and 19 off the bench by Ryan Anderson. Al-Farouq Aminu and Roger Mason,
Jr. also scored in double digits, but the Hornets were way too sloppy to come
out with a victory against a better, albeit undermanned Warriors team.
Without potential All Star David Lee and his almost 20 ppg, the Hornets
surrendered 116 points, which is the most they've allowed since a 117-113 loss
in Milwaukee on Nov. 17.
New Orleans shot itself in its own foot with mistakes when it had the
basketball. The Hornets committed 17 turnovers, which led to 22 Warriors
points, and only managed to shoot 56.5 percent from the foul line, lowlighted
by a 2-for-7 night from Davis at the charity stripe.
"We lost our identity tonight," said coach Monty Williams. "We gave up 116
points to a team that is undermanned. I thought they did a great job of
penetrating and finding guys. They had three quarters where they scored 30
points. We didn't knock down a free throw and we turned the ball over 17
times. You don't deserve to win."
The Kings have won three out of four, including the team's fourth road victory
of the season on Saturday over the Charlotte Bobcats. Marcus Thornton paced
the Kings with 18 off the bench and DeMarcus Cousins recorded his fourth
straight double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the 97-93 victory.
Three other Sacramento players scored in double figures and the Kings handed
out 24 assists on 37 made field goals.
"Our guys did a good job of moving the ball and making that extra pass
tonight," Kings coach Keith Smart said of his team's 24 assists.
This might just be the first Kings game since the sale of the team. According
to several reports, the Maloof brothers, principal owners of the Kings,
reached an agreement with a group headed by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer.
This reported deal would mean the Kings would relocate to Seattle, possibly as
early as next season. The Sacramento Bee stated that Sacramento mayor, and
former NBA All-Star, Kevin Johnson is seeking a group to buy the Kings and
keep them in California's capital city.
The Kings, who finish off a three-game road trip Monday afternoon, won three
of four against the Hornets last season, but have dropped six of their last
seven and 12 of 14 in New Orleans.
The Sports Network