Charlotte @ Sacramento preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 17, 2019 ) Sacramento 95, Charlotte 114

The Charlotte Hornets have dropped three games by double digits since winning their season opener at home and look to begin turning things around when they visit the winless Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. The Hornets lost on back-to-back nights in Los Angeles versus the Lakers and the Clippers by a combined 34 points, but were within three or fewer in both of the games at halftime.

“I like the way we competed against two of the better teams in the league,” Charlotte coach James Borrego told reporters of the two games in Los Angeles. “We played even better (Monday in a 111-96 loss to the Clippers). Probably our best performance of the year defensively.” The Hornets have won four of the last five meetings despite a 104-97 setback last season at Sacramento, which has averaged 95.5 points while losing four consecutive games against Western Conference teams to open its campaign. The Kings are 0-4 for the first time since 2008-09 but showed some progress with 101-94 loss to Denver on Monday, especially on the defensive end of the court while holding the Nuggets to 36.7 percent shooting from the field. “That’s what we have to be,” Sacramento coach Luke Walton told reporters after Monday’s loss. “That’s why we stress, and there was a point made, becoming a team that comes on defense so that when we have off shooting nights we still have a chance to win. We really played a competitive game and we stuck together.”

TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS Southeast (Charlotte), NBCS California (Sacramento)

ABOUT THE HORNETS (1-3): Reserve guard Devonte’ Graham leads the team in scoring (17.5) and assists (7.3) after registering the first double-double of his career Monday against the Clippers (14 and 12, respectively). Cody Zeller has posted double-doubles in his first three contests of the season while averaging 16 points and 13 rebounds in just over 30 minutes on 19-of-34 shooting from the floor - 4-of-9 from behind the arc. Guard Malik Monk, the 11th pick in the 2017 draft, stepped up with a season-best 15 points against the Clippers after missing all seven shots in his previous two contests.

ABOUT THE KINGS (0-4): Point guard De’Aaron Fox leads the team at 16.3 points and six assists per contest, but is shooting just 39.2 percent from the field and has coughed the ball up 14 times in the first four games - tied for the most on the team. Reserve forward Richaun Holmes finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Monday’s setback after scoring 17 and grabbing 12 boards combined in the first three games of the season. Marvin Bagley III, who scored 14 in the opener, is out 4-6 weeks with a broken thumb and fellow forward and Duke product Henry Giles (knee soreness) has yet to play this season.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Sacramento G Buddy Hield averaged 24.5 points in the first two games, but scored eight combined on 3-of-20 shooting in the past two.

2. Charlotte G Terry Rozier, acquired from Boston in the offseason, is averaging 18 points in the first two games of the road trip.

3. The Hornets entered Tuesday third in the league at 40.1 percent from 3-point range and Sacramento was 16th at 34.1.

PREDICTION: Kings 110, Hornets 104