By ,
Published May 02, 2016
Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Rudy Gay poured in 33 points and the Sacramento Kings ended a four-game skid with a 101-91 victory over the struggling Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
With All-Star forward DeMarcus Cousins sidelined due to a calf injury, Sacramento used a balanced scoring attacked behind Gay. Derrick Williams chipped in with 13 points, Omri Casspi added 10 and four other Kings scored at least eight in the wire-to-wire win.
"We're getting used to the up tempo style," said veteran Kings guard Andre Miller, who totaled seven points and seven assists off the bench.
Charlotte has opened its five-game road trip with three straight losses and has dropped five of six overall to stay on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Gerald Henderson led the way with 20 points, Kemba Walker netted 18 and Al Jefferson added 17 in a losing effort.
"We played at a frustrated level," Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said. "And we got outworked a little bit."
Nik Stauskas' late 3-pointer staked the Kings to a 29-22 lead after one quarter of play, and Gay capped his 18-point half with a fadeaway that gave Sacramento a 57-46 cushion at halftime.
After shooting 57.5 percent in the first half, Sacramento cooled off a bit in the third quarter. Charlotte pulled within three at one point, but a 10-2 run rebuilt the Kings' double-digit lead.
Williams' one-handed dunk over Bismack Biyombo in the final minute helped the Kings enter the fourth with an 80-69 advantage, and after the Hornets pulled within six with five minutes left, the hosts put the game away with a 7-0 run.
Game Notes
The Kings swept the home-and-home season series ... Hornets forward Cody Zeller returned from a four-game absence due to a shoulder injury and only scored one point with six rebounds and four assists ... Reggie Evans pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds for the Kings.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/gay-leads-kings-over-hornets