In a building that’s always tough to crack, the Hornets hit hard. Fueled by an electric LaMelo Ball and an offense that kept coming, Charlotte walked out of Sacramento with a 117-109 win over the Kings.
A steady, controlled victory that still stole the spotlight from what should’ve been a historic night for DeMar DeRozan. Sacramento’s wing put up huge numbers — it simply wasn’t enough.
LaMelo set the tone from the first half
The game flipped early because of LaMelo. The Hornets’ point guard found a rhythm and started raining threes like it was nothing.
With all of the talent in Charlotte this year due to the addition of Kon and a healthy Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball has had more opportunities to operate off ball
And he’s so dynamic in that role, where he can run off screens and knock down C&S threes pic.twitter.com/kfH78WY4Tz
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) March 12, 2026
Ball finished with 30 points, 20 of them before the break. He also hit a handful of clutch shots down the stretch to lock the result up.
His sixth three in the final minutes, then two free throws, put the game out of reach.
Bridges and Miller back him up
Around their floor general, Charlotte had a ruthless supporting cast. Miles Bridges scored 26 and proved decisive in the fourth with a crucial floater as Sacramento tried to climb back.
Brandon Miller chipped in 20, and rookie Kon Knueppel turned heads with 24.
That trio let Charlotte take control slowly after a tight first half.
Charlotte flipped the script in the second half
The Kings held firm for a long stretch. At halftime, Sacramento still led 62-57.
But Charlotte changed gears after the break. A highlight alley-oop from Bridges to Miller put the Hornets ahead 88-83 in the third.
Minutes later, a three-point play from Coby White early in the fourth pushed the gap to 99-88. Sacramento never really recovered.
DeRozan shone in defeat
The Kings leave with the loss, but DeMar DeRozan still had one hell of a night.
DeMar DeRozan 39 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 17/22 FG, 5/5 FT, 80.6% TS vs Hornets https://t.co/8LW2V1qIgj pic.twitter.com/yCc3w2HOok
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) March 12, 2026
He poured in 39 points and passed Tim Duncan for 18th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. At 26,505 career points, he’s still climbing the leaderboard.
Even with that night, Sacramento couldn’t find a team answer to slow Charlotte’s attack.
Charlotte look like they believe again
More than anything, this win is a confidence boost — a rare triumph in Sacramento, their first there in over two years.
For the Kings it’s frustration. Without Russell Westbrook, they wanted a third straight win — a streak they haven’t managed all season.
But against a hot LaMelo and an offense that was clicking, Sacramento never turned the tide.
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