Kaminsky scores 23, Hornets end five-game losing streak

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Frank Kaminsky is getting his shot at center in the absence of teammate Cody Zeller, and he's become a bright spot for the struggling Charlotte Hornets.
Kaminsky had 23 points and 13 rebounds to help the Hornets beat the Sacramento Kings 99-85 on Saturday to end a five-game losing streak.
With the injured Zeller playing just once since Jan. 25 and backup Miles Plumlee also injured, Kaminsky has become the man in the middle after playing mostly power forward since entering the NBA last season.
Against the Kings, Kaminsky was instrumental at both ends of the court.
"It's all about confidence. When it's high, you feel like you can do anything," Kaminsky said. "I'm playing right now the way I've felt I can play. I've always been confident playing center."
The Hornets went ahead late in the first quarter and led the rest of the way for their second win in 14 games. The Kings never got going offensively, and Charlotte led by 23 points in the second half while ending their 12-game road skid.
Marvin Williams scored 16 points and Nicolas Batum had 15 for the Hornets, who had squandered fourth-quarter leads in losing their three previous games.
"It's been disappointing. But we've still got a lot of guys in this locker room who want to win," Marvin Williams said. "We have the right attitude and we're confident we can turn this thing around."
Ben McLemore led the Kings with 18 points and Buddy Hield had 15 in his second game since being acquired from New Orleans in a trade for DeMarcus Cousins. Anthony Tolliver and Tyreke Evans had 11 points each.
Sacramento had won five of its previous six games but trails eighth-place Denver by 1 1/2 games.
It's been a miserable past seven weeks for Charlotte, which had a 19-14 record on Dec. 29 after beating Miami. The Hornets went into a tailspin, losing 19 of 24 before defeating the Kings.
Kaminsky had been a bright spot of late, averaging 19.9 points in the last five games. Frequently left alone on the perimeter, Kaminsky made five 3-pointers and hit 9 of 18 shots overall.
"It's hard when you're playing a shooting big like that. You're trying to contain Kemba Walker, (Nicolas) Batum, you're trying to help your guard, and you've got a guy who is a flamethrower," Willie Cauley-Stein said about guarding Kaminsky.
The Kings were seeking their first five-game winning streak at home since the 2007. Sacramento shot 39 percent and were outscored 28-18 in the third quarter when Charlotte built a 79-58 lead.
After a 16-point victory over Denver in their first game without Cousins, the Kings looked listless against the Hornets. The Kings missed their first six shots of the second half as Charlotte ran off 12 straight points for a 63-40 lead.
"We spent a lot of emotions on the game on the other night," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. "Tonight was a situation where you got a veteran team, a physical team, and they pushed us around the court."
TIPS-INS

Hornets: Charlotte scored the first 12 points of the game, only to have the Kings counter with a 15-point run. ... The seven-game road trip, their longest of the season, ends March 4 in Denver. ... Marco Belinelli had 13 points and Kemba Walker had 12.
Kings: Evans, who played four seasons in Sacramento, got his first start as a King since April of 2013. He was traded to New Orleans in the offseason. ... The bench had a season-high 72 points against Denver, but had 29 against the Hornets. ... Cauley-Stein had two points after getting a career-high 29 against Denver.
UP NEXT
Hornets: The difficult road trip continues Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kings: Minnesota comes to town Monday looking to gain ground on the Kings in the playoff hunt.
Check out the team sites for the Charlotte Hornets and the Sacramento Kings for more game coverage.

Regular Season Series

Series tied 1-1

Game 2

Final

• 
  Hornets

  99
• 
  Kings

  85

Game 1

Final

• 
  Kings

  109
• 
  Hornets

  106

2016-2017 Southeast Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Washington	34	23	.596	0	L2
Atlanta	33	26	.559	2	W1
Miami	27	33	.450	8.5	L1
Charlotte	25	34	.424	10	L1
Orlando	22	38	.367	13.5	W1

Full Standings

2016-2017 Pacific Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Golden State	50	9	.847	0	W4
LA	36	23	.610	14	W1
Sacramento	25	35	.417	25.5	L2
Los Angeles	19	41	.317	31.5	L4
Phoenix	18	41	.305	32	L2

Full Standings

 

 

 

 

Hornets

Starters	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	+/-	PTS
M. WilliamsPF	36	6-12	3-8	1-1	1	5	6	0	2	1	3	3	+8	16
M. Kidd-GilchristSF	27	1-6	0-1	4-4	6	6	12	3	2	1	0	1	+17	6
F. Kaminsky IIIC	38	9-18	5-9	0-0	2	11	13	3	2	0	0	4	+19	23
K. WalkerPG	36	5-12	2-5	0-0	1	2	3	6	1	0	4	1	+9	12
N. BatumSG	34	4-17	1-6	6-6	0	6	6	3	1	1	1	0	+5	15
Bench	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	+/-	PTS
C. WoodPF	10	1-3	0-1	3-4	3	1	4	0	0	0	1	3	-5	5
B. RobertsPG	12	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	1	+5	2
M. BelinelliSG	29	4-7	2-4	3-3	0	2	2	6	1	0	1	0	+5	13
J. LambSG	18	3-8	1-4	0-0	0	4	4	1	1	0	0	0	+7	7
J. O'Bryant IIIPF	DNP-COACH'S DECISION
M. PlumleeC	DNP-COACH'S DECISION
T. GrahamSG	DNP-COACH'S DECISION
TEAM		34-85	14-38	17-18	13	37	50	26	10	3	10	13		99
		40.0%	36.8%	94.4%

Kings

Starters	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	+/-	PTS
A. TolliverPF	20	3-7	3-6	2-4	0	4	4	1	0	0	4	2	-13	11
K. KoufosC	19	3-7	0-0	0-0	4	3	7	0	0	1	2	2	-7	6
D. CollisonPG	28	4-8	2-3	0-0	0	2	2	5	1	0	0	2	-12	10
T. EvansSG	22	4-10	0-3	3-3	0	5	5	5	0	2	1	3	-13	11
B. McLemoreSG	33	7-15	3-7	1-1	0	2	2	0	1	0	1	4	-8	18
Bench	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	+/-	PTS
S. LabissierePF	23	4-10	0-1	0-0	3	10	13	1	1	0	1	1	+1	8
W. Cauley-SteinC	28	0-5	0-0	2-2	0	2	2	1	0	3	0	1	-12	2
G. PapagiannisC	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+9	0
T. LawsonPG	23	1-5	1-2	1-2	2	2	4	2	0	0	2	3	-14	4
B. HieldSG	26	5-10	2-5	3-3	0	1	1	2	0	0	3	1	-3	15
L. GallowaySG	12	0-2	0-1	0-0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	+2	0
A. AfflaloSG	DNP-COACH'S DECISION
TEAM		31-79	11-28	12-15	9	32	41	18	3	6	14	19		85
		39.2%	39.3%	80.0%