Hornets rally from 22 down in the third quarter to beat Kings in overtime
Kemba Walker scored 39 points (7 during a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter), and the Charlotte Hornets rallied from 22 points down in the third quarter to beat the Sacramento Kings 127-122 in overtime.
The Hornets trailed 91-69 with 2:24 left in the third quarter. They outscored the Kings 58-31 the rest of the way.
Jeremy Lin’s 19-foot step-back jumper with 43.0 seconds left in overtime made it 122-118.
During clutch time, the Hornets outscored the Kings 23-10. Walker (No. 7 in clutch points, 2015-16) scored 10 of the Hornets’ 23 on 4 for 5 shooting and 2 for 2 at the line.
Walker scored 21 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter.
For the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins had 30 points (14 in the first quarter), 11 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Rudy Gay added 28 points and 10 rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 14 points, 8 rebounds, 20 assists and 4 steals.
The Hornets went 20 for 26 at the line to the Kings’ 10 for 16 and outscored them 26-13 off turnovers. The Kings got 8 offensive rebounds, about 4 fewer than usual for the shots they missed. The Hornets outscored the Kings 35-16 in 12 minutes with Batum, Lin, Walker, Zeller and Kaminsky on the floor together.