NBA Team: Lamelo Ball lead the way for Hornets
Kelly Oubre and Ball torched down Sacramento Kings to end their eight-game losing streak. Follow for more NBA team news and updates here!
Lamelo Ball registered another double-double with 23 points and 12 assists while Kelly Oubre Jr. topped the scoring sheet with 31 points to go along with nine rebounds to defeat Sacramento King 125-119. This is only Ball’s seventh game of the season after missing the last 13 games due to an ankle injury. In the first half, Ball struggled inside the paint and only registered three points, but he started to get hot in the second half. The third year guard from Chino Hills started to maneuver Charlotte’s offense as he added 12 assists and scored 23 points before being fouled out with almost 30 seconds remaining.
Ball got a helping hand from Kelly Oubre who scored 31 points and was aggressive throughout the game. “He has great courage,” the Hornets Coach said in an interview. “He’s confident and he badly wants to win. You are never going to have to worry about his competitive spirit.”
The third year point guard also had a high-praise with his teammate, “Great player. Athletic. He’s a two-way player that gets it done on both sides.”
Gordon Hayward, the Hornet’s veteran small forward contributed 19 points, while their center Mason Plumlee added 15 and Nick Richards finished with 14 for Charlotte.
On the other side, Sacramento got a productive night yet went in vain with De’Aaron Fox who had 37 points for Sacramento who was on a winning column earlier this season (16-13). While the Lithuanian superstar Domantas Sabonis scored a double-double of a season-high 28 points and 23 rebounds to record his third 20-point and 20-rebound performance so far this season. According to Kings head coach Mike Brown, this defeat is a “good reality check” for them.
The Kings’ poor on Defense
The Sacramento Kings gave up many points to Charlotte despite also being an offensive force this season. It affects the team’s progress, providing too many open lanes and wide open three-point shots which Hornets have strength. Despite being an 8-23 and currently the worst team in the East, this Hornets team is talented so giving up those shots really gave Kings another problem to open – which is their poor and lazy defense.
The King must not rely solely on their two stars and look for more talented forwards
It is very obvious that the offense of Sacramento Kings is solely dependent on two players: De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. If you are looking on the brighter side, yes, the stat lines of these two have had a positive impact on the team so far this season, however it won’t last long and they will be having a huge problem once the postseason starts or even after the All-Star break. No one even stepped up, even their other options in Malik Monk, Huerter, and Harrison Barnes.
The team also needs talented and experienced forwards – seeing Kelly Oubre drop 31 points on the head of Barnes and rookie Keegan Murray was a huge sign that Sacramento needed to make a trade or sign another talented forward to their roster in order to fill the void and improve Kings on both ends of the floor.
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