Kings Rise To .500, Swat Hornets 112-96

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap

Sergio Rodriguez

One of the more surprising teams in the NBA at this stage of the NBA season has to be the Sacramento Kings. One must consider that their team is relatively young and experienced not to mention they have a new head coach in Paul Westphal; that combination usually means a young team that is slowly trying to get an identity and work through their growing pains. Yet here they are, prior to Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets, at 7-8. The game itself allowed for a different hero for the Kings; usually it is either Tyreke Evans or Jason Thompson most nights. This night’s savior was Sergio Rodriguez as he scored 24 points, allowing Sacramento to reach the .500 mark in thrashing New Orleans 112-96 at Arco Arena.

The first quarter was very evenly played as the Hornets put together a quick 10-4 run, capped by a David West jumper with 9:03 left in the period; the Kings would remain close, ending the period tying the game at 26-all on a Beno Udrih jumper with one second left. The second quarter would be all Sacramento as they would build an 11-point lead on an Andres Nocioni three-pointer with 1:34 left in the half; they would go into halftime with a 57-43 lead.

New Orleans would chip away as they reduced the Kings lead to 59-55 on a pair of Devin Brown free throws; the Kings would regain the double-digit lead at 82-70 on an Omri Casspi layup and would take an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Hornets managed to reduce their deficit to three at 86-83, but Evans’ jumper would give Sacramento a double-digit lead at 94-83 with 6:56 left in the game; a free throw by Jon Brockman with 4:09 left would ice the game for the Kings.

Six Kings scored in double-digits, led by Rodriguez from off the bench with 24 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals while Thompson added 22 with 14 rebounds and an assist; Evans pitched in 14 with a rebound and 4 assists. West led the Hornets with 24 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a block while Emeka Okafor chipped in 20 with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Sacramento (8-8) plays again on Wednesday when they host the Indiana Pacers while New Orleans (7-10) travels to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers Tuesday night.

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Comments

3 Responses to “Kings Rise To .500, Swat Hornets 112-96”

Greg on December 1st, 2009 12:19 am

there is a reason they are my boys this year. As I predicted they should beat the Pacers today. Though I will admit the Pacers look ok today against the Warriors.

The Kings are gonna have their issues and they are just starting to find their identity….you are right with that point Stephen….let’s hope they keep going in the right direction!
Ryan on December 1st, 2009 6:09 am

This young team doesn’t buy into the “take a few years to get better” excuse.

Tyreke will be an All Star….sooner than most people think.
Greg on December 1st, 2009 8:00 pm

Tyreke looks good. I agree. He has to work on ball handling and court awareness. He has a nice high arching shot and can drive the lane. Give it a yr or two and barring any unforseen injuries I agree he will be an all star.