On Sunday, the Charlotte Hornets completed an improbable comeback victory over the Sacramento Kings after trailing by eight points late in the fourth quarter to pull out the 127-126 win at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings took an eight-point lead with 1:13 to play following a dunk by Harrison Barnes. Sacramento was then outscored 12-3 in the final minute by Charlotte after missing five consecutive free throws to keep the Hornets alive.
With 10.7 seconds left, Buddy Hield split a pair of free throws to put the Kings up by two points. From there, Malik Monk converted a tough and-1 finish to help the Hornets steal the game and complete the comeback victory after trailing by nine points in the quarter.
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P.J. Washington scored a career-high 42 points to lead the Hornets, while LaMelo Ball produced 24 points, a career-high 12 assists and four rebounds, and Monk had 21 points off the bench. Ball finished with his seventh double-double of the season, the most by a rookie.
The play of Ball even earned some praise from Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
Lamelo is a problem!
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) March 1, 2021
Ball throughout the year has continued to impress seemingly every time he steps onto the court. He is the likely frontrunner to win the Rookie of the Year award and it may not be even close at this point of the season based on his early success.
The win by the Hornets brought them to within one game of a .500 record at 16-17. The team has played with immense effort and fight throughout the season and that will likely keep them alive for a playoff berth all year long.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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