Kings-Hornets Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Jan 21 2013 12:51AM

The Sacramento Kings bounced back nicely from their worst offensive performance of the season. That might not bode well for a New Orleans Hornets team trying to rebound from a shaky defensive effort.

The Kings, fresh off learning some very big news about the franchise's future, face the Hornets for the first time this season Monday at New Orleans.

After setting season lows for points and assists (nine) in an 85-69 loss at Memphis on Friday, Sacramento (16-25) handed out 24 assists in a 97-83 victory over Charlotte on Saturday. Six Kings scored at least nine points.

"Now hopefully we can come out Monday against New Orleans and do the same thing," said DeMarcus Cousins, who posted his fourth consecutive double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The Kings, winners of three of four following a four-game slide, learned Sunday that the Maloof family has agreed to sell the team to a Seattle group led by investor Chris Hansen.

The Maloofs are reportedly selling their entire 65 percent share for $525 million to Hansen, who will move the team to Seattle and restore the SuperSonics name.

The deal is still pending approval from the NBA Board of Governors and the Maloofs will be allowed to look at other bids until the league approves the sale.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said last week he had received permission from NBA Commissioner David Stern to present a counteroffer to league owners from buyers who would keep the Kings in Sacramento.

Johnson said in a statement late Sunday night that the city remains undeterred despite the agreement with the Seattle group.

"When it comes to keeping the team in our community, Sacramento is playing to win," Johnson said. "In particular, we have been focused like a laser on identifying an ownership group that will both have the financial resources desired by the NBA and the vision to make the Kings the NBA equivalent of what the Green Bay Packers have been in the NFL."

The Hornets (13-27) had won six of seven before a 116-112 loss to Golden State on Saturday. New Orleans is limiting opponents to 96.8 points per game, but the Warriors shot better than 49 percent from the field, went 10 of 22 from 3-point range and made 30 of 35 free throws.

"We lost our identity tonight," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "We gave up 116 points to a team that is undermanned. We didn't knock down a free throw (going 13 of 23) and we turned the ball over 17 times. You don't deserve to win."

The Hornets might deserve a victory if they can contain Cousins, Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans. Thornton had a team-high 18 points off the bench Saturday while Evans finished with 16 after scoring six of the team's final nine.

Thornton averaged a team-best 21.8 points and Evans added 19.8 as the Kings took three of four from New Orleans in 2011-12.

Eric Gordon missed all of those games due to injury and is expected to face Sacramento for the first time in a Hornets uniform.

The guard led New Orleans with 23 points Saturday after sitting out one game to rest his surgically repaired right knee, which sidelined him the first 29 contests.

Kings rookie forward Thomas Robinson should be available Monday after getting elbowed in the mouth and needing stitches in the last game.

New Orleans has taken 12 of 14 at home against the Kings.

Anderson scores 27, Hornets beat Kings 114-105

Posted Jan 21 2013 5:04PM

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Ryan Anderson patiently answered questions after a 27-point performance in the New Orleans Hornets' 114-105 victory over Sacramento on Monday. About 15 feet away, the franchise's prized player was nursing an ankle injury.

After a first half which in which he scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, the Hornets' Anthony Davis sat out the second, after spraining his left ankle in the second quarter. It was the same ankle he injured earlier in the year that sidelined him for 11 games.

However, Davis said he should be ready to play at Sacramento on Wednesday, the first of a grueling stretch in which the Hornets will play 9 of 11 games away from New Orleans Arena.

"I landed on (his) foot and rolled it," Davis said, "Pretty sure I should be back. It's fine. "

Greivis Vasquez scored19 points, Eric Gordon 16, and Al-Farouz Aminu 14 for the Hornets, who have won 3 of their past 4.

DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Isaiah Thomas scored 20 points, Tyreke Evans 16 and Travis Outlaw 10 for Sacramento, which was playing its first game since it was announced the team would be sold and potentially moved to Seattle.

Anderson scored 17 points in the second quarter and 19 in the half, making 5 of 8 3-point attempts when the Hornets raced to a 64-39 halftime lead. He finished 7 of 14 beyond the arc.

"I shot some tonight that were a little difficult," said Anderson, who added the Kings' defense allowed the Hornets to spread the floor. "I got open looks and the guys were looking for me."

The Hornets shot 53.1 percent in the first 2 quarters and matched a season high for first-half points.

"It was one of our better first halves," Davis said. "We pushed the ball offensively, we defended really well."

The Hornets packed its defense in the paint, continually denying Sacramento the entry pass and forcing the Kings to move to the outside, where they struggled. Sacramento made its first four shots but finished the half 15 of 44, shooting 34 percent.

The Kings were 11 of 40 from the field after the opening three minutes of the first quarter and committed 9 turnovers.

"We've got to come out there ready to play," said Cousins, who was held to 8 points in the first half. "Giving them that (big) lead, that put us behind, and we were playing catch-up the rest of the game. If we came out early with energy we probably wouldn't have been in that situation."

The Hornets led by 27 midway through the quarter, but with Davis out the Kings were able to cut the deficit to single digits on several occasions in the second half, including seven in the third and fourth quarters.

"We didn't like the sloppy play in the second half but I'm not going to dwell on that," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "The good thing is our guys felt badly about it and that is something that shows character, but at the same time you don't want to see it, giving up a 37-point quarter (the most the Hornets have allowed in the third quarter) and a 29-point quarter after the way the defense played in the first half."

Sacramento took an early 8-4 lead but during the next nine minutes was 4 of 19 from the field. The Hornets closed the first quarter on a 19-10 run to take a 30-18 lead.

Robin Lopez's three-point play on an offensive rebound gave the Hornets their first lead at 11-8 with 7:54 to play in the quarter, a lead they would not relinquish.

"I was proud of the way the guys came back in the third quarter," Hornets coach Keith Smart said. "It would have been easy for them to pack it in, but they came out and made a game of it."

NOTES: Vasquez had 11 assists to along with his 19 points, recording his 14th double-double of the season. . .The Hornets shot 48.3 percent from the field, marking the fifth time in the past seven games they have shot at least 48 percent from the field. . .Cousins had his 19th double-double of the season.

Notebook: Hornets 114, Kings 105

Guerry Smith, For NBA.com
Posted Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:05 PM - Updated Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:05 PM

THE FACTS: Reserve Ryan Anderson had 17 of his 27 points in the second quarter and the New Orleans Hornets built a 64-39 halftime lead, then held on to beat the Sacramento Kings 104-105 Monday afternoon in New Orleans on Martin Luther King Day. With Hornets (14-27) center Anthony Davis sitting out the second half after tweaking an ankle, the Kings (16-26) cut the deficit to seven in the fourth quarter but never came closer in a meeting between teams with two of the three worst records in the Western Conference.

QUOTABLE: "I think I'm going to have a good shooting night every night. When you're in the moment and just ready to shoot, you're not really thinking. I got some great open looks, and most of them were on the fast break."

-- Ryan Anderson on finishing 7-for-14 from long range

THE STAT: Anderson, who led the NBA in 3-pointers made while playing for Orlando last year, hit four of his five 3-pointers between the 5:57 mark to the 3:05 mark of the second quarter as the Hornets stretched a 41-32 lead to 55-36. The Kings were not alert enough to get a hand in his face in transition.

TURNING POINT: The 10 a.m. Pacific time start on MLK Day. The Kings did not really compete in the first half, letting the Hornets get whatever they wanted, offensively, and then blamed the early start more than the overnight news the franchise would move to Seattle next season. Defense has been a problem all year for the Kings -- the 102.6 points they allowed coming in was the fourth-highest total in the NBA -- but this was extreme. The Hornets' 64 first-half points were five more than in any other game. After falling behind by 27, the Kings woke up in the second half, going on a 17-0 run in the third quarter and almost making it close down the stretch.

QUOTABLE II: "It's hard. I can't imagine a team not being there."

-- Ryan Anderson, a Sacramento native, on the news of the Kings' impending departure

HOT: Hornets point guard Greivis Vasquez had 19 points and 11 assists two days after handing out 15 assists against Golden State. All four of Anderson's 3-pointers in his torrid stretch came off of Vasquez passes.

NOT: The Kings are awful on the road. They fell to 4-16 away from home, with their four victories coming against teams (Portland, Cleveland, Toronto, Charlotte) who entered the day with a combined 55-108 record.

NOTABLE: The Hornets have won seven of their last nine after a 7-25 start, closing within a game-and-a-half of the Kings. ... Davis said he "rolled" his ankle and added he should be fine for New Orleans' Wednesday game at San Antonio. ... Center DeMarcus Cousins had a game-high 29 points for Sacramento. ... Former Hornets player Marcus Thornton, who has lost his starting job at Sacramento after leading the Kings in scoring last season, did not play in the second half after shooting 2-for-9 in the first half. ... Though healthy, Kings reserve Jimmer Fredette did not play for the fifth time this year.

UP NEXT: For the Hornets, Wednesday @ San Antonio, Friday vs. Houston, Sunday @Memphis. For the Kings, Wednesday vs. Phoenix, Friday vs. Oklahoma City, Saturday @ Denver.

• Kings: Honeycutt
• Hornets: Miller

• Kings: Evans
• Hornets: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #76 Steven Anderson, #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 10880
• Duration: 2:10