The Charlotte Hornets were playing tough, then Zach LaVine happened, and they ended up losing in blowout fashion to the Kings, 130-88.

The summary

The Hornets got off to a good start thanks to eight straight points from Miles Bridges to start the game. The offense bogged down quite a bit after that. Meanwhile the Hornets struggled to keep track of the Kings on the perimeter. The home team hit seven first quarter threes en route to an 11 point lead.

The struggles continues through the second quarter. The Hornets struggled to contain dribble penetration and Zach LaVine’s outside shooting. They, and LaMelo Ball in particular started getting frustrated with a lack of perceived whistle after LaMelo was whistled for stepping out of bounds while getting bumped by Jake LaRavia. By halftime, the deficit grew to 20.

The Hornets got off to a much better start in the second half. They had a couple of chances to cut the deficit to single digits within the first six minutes of the half but couldn’t get over that hump for a while. They finally did when Damion Baugh stole the ball in the back court on two straight possessions. The Kings responded with seven straight to go back up 16 heading into the fourth.

That quarter got off to a rather clunky start, and the Kings took advantage by growing their lead back up past 30 within the first few minutes of the fourth thanks to an insane shooting display by Zach LaVine. It went from a competitive game to garbage time in record time, and the deep benches finished the game.

The Good

Miles Bridges was far and away the most productive Hornet. I don’t know if you’d call it a “good” game; He had a few turnovers and funky shots, but he still managed an efficient 23 points. He continues to be the best Hornet over a multi-week stretch.

Damion Baugh had a really rough shooting game, but he played a very good game otherwise. He hustled back and got up to break up a fast break lob, and his defensive pressure was a catalyst for the Hornets comeback attempt in the third quarter.

The Bad

The Hornets have lost their last two games by a combined 95 points. I don’t really know how to explain what’s happened. It’s the same group of guys that played two good games coming out of the all star break. They’ve just played at their absolute floor the last two games. Hopefully they at least get back to competitive before too long.

LaMelo Ball was really bothered by the Kings defensive pressure and physicality. His efficiency has taken a nosedive in 2025, and he never looked comfortable or confident last night.

Nick Smith Jr. had a rough game, but he’s in this space more out of frustration for some of his decision making or lack of aggressiveness. He had a couple of opportunities in transition where you’d like to see him attack the basket. Instead, he either pulled the ball back out or looked for a teammate with a relatively low percentage pass. He seems to have some sort of mental block attempting layups in traffic.

It was another rough night for Tidjane Salaün. He looks so panicky in any on ball situation, both offensively and defensively. He was 1-of-5 from the field and had another goose egg from three, making him 0-of-9 from three in his last three games. He botched a wide open lob in garbage time. On defense, he got cooked whenever he was guarding the perimeter and the ball handler tried to attack him.

Elfrid Payton made it four games out of six with zero (0) points. He has scored six total points in six games as a Hornet.

What’s Next

The Hornets take the short trip south to San Francisco to take on a Warriors team that has been dominant since acquiring Jimmy Butler.