March 10, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in the fourth quarter at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Image Coming off exciting wins 24 hours ago, the two teams will attempt to double the excitement when the Charlotte Hornets visit the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
The Hornets, who are climbing up the Eastern Conference standings, got 12 fourth-quarter points from LaMelo Ball as they beat the host Portland Trail Blazers 103-101 on Tuesday night for their seventh win in their last nine games.
Meanwhile, the Kings lost their reputation as the NBA’s worst team when Devin Carter scored 22 points in the fourth quarter as Sacramento swept visiting Indiana 114-109, handing the Pacers their 50th loss, equaling the Kings’ total. (Sacramento won 16 times, Indiana won 15 times)
The Hornets and Kings have never met this season. They will meet again in 13 days in North Carolina.
The win in Portland not only pushed Charlotte to a .500 batting average, but also moved it within five games of Milwaukee for the 10th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with just 16 games remaining.
The Hornets (33-33) are now closer to No. 6 Miami (37-29), which currently holds the final automatic playoff spot, than the No. 11 Bucks (27-37).
One game after an 11-point loss at Phoenix, Brandon Miller led Charlotte’s win at Portland with 23 points.
He also had nine rebounds, four assists and three steals after admitting that his recent impressive scoring, in which he averaged 22.8 points to start the four-game road trip, was possible thanks to the boost of energy provided by his teammates.
“Seeing guys like Cone (Kneuppel), Melo (LaMelo Ball), Miles (Bridges) and Musa (Diabate) playing at their best makes my job a lot easier,” Miller told reporters. “All you can do is play hard for your brother, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
The Kings enjoyed a burst of energy during a five-game homestand that opened with losses to Phoenix and New Orleans by a combined 21 points. Sacramento beat the Chicago Bulls 126-110 before pulling out a five-point win over the Pacers on Tuesday.
The winning streak is the Kings’ third of the season. They only played one more four-a-side game in January, right before losing 16 straight games.
Kings veteran Malik Monk said after Sunday’s win over the Bulls that he and his teammates owe it to Sacramento’s loyal fans to put on a better show.
“It always feels good to win at home, especially in front of the crowd,” he said. “I don’t even know our record. It’s terrible, but as bad as we are, it always gives us a lot of energy. I’d like to thank our fans for always supporting us no matter how bad we are.”
Of the Kings’ 16 wins this season, 11 have come at home.
– Field level media
