Kings vs. Hornets Preview – By the Numbers

January 10, 2024

After a roller coaster of a game against the Pistons, the Kings continue their road trip in Charlotte against the 8-26 Hornets. One of the eight wins came against the Kings in Sacramento, so the Kings owe Charlotte a game.

In the first matchup, the Kings were torched by Terry Rozier down the stretch, who had 14 Points in the 4th quarter to lead Charlotte to victory. With LaMelo Ball out again for this one, Rozier will get the start and ample minutes tonight. His great play against the Kings is no anomaly, as he’s averaging 24.3 Points and 7.2 Assists per game, both career highs.

In the last 5 games, he’s sitting at 32.5 Points, 7.3 Assists, and 3.5 Rebounds on 51.9/44.2/96.4% shooting splits. You don’t get the nickname Scary Terry for no reason, and right now I am terrified of Rozier. He’s the type of player who can get on a heater at any time and take over a game. Look for the Kings to blitz and double team him if he gets going tonight as well.

Rozier got all of the talk and attention, but Miles Bridges had a quiet 27 Points on 50/50/100% shooting splits. No one wants to talk about him, myself included, but he’s having a good season averaging 20.6 Points, 7.0 Rebounds, and 3.0 Assists. He got to the rim with ease in game 1, so the Kings will have put more focus on staying in front of him tonight.

The other area where the Kings struggled against the Hornets was in the paint, shooting 24-of-48 (50%) inside, well under their season average of 58.8%. Sacramento looked rattled inside, unable to get anything going while the Hornets had a block party. Bridges, Rozier, Nick Richards, Nathan Mensah, and Nick Smith Jr. all had 2 Blocks, giving the Hornets 10 total, tied for the most a team has had this season against the Kings.

The good news for the Kings is that Sabonis is coming off a monster game with 37 Points, 13 Assists and 10 Rebounds for his 9th triple-double of the season. As part of that effort, he shot 14-of-16 (87.5%) in the Restricted Area. Reminder that he shot 10-of-20 (50%) in the Restricted Area in the previous matchup against the Hornets.

On the season, he’s up to 70.2% shooting at the rim, which is a much better number after a slow start inside to start the season. When Sabonis gets rolling on the block, the whole team benefits. Opponents are forced to let him go to work or bring the double team, leading to the open looks Mike Brown loves to get out of a paint touch. Appreciate Domantas Sabonis folks. He’s a special player on a hell of a roll. Let’s keep it rolling tonight in Charlotte.