The Charlotte Hornets’ 134-90 destruction of the Sacramento Kings wasn’t just a win—it was a statement. Tying a franchise record with 26 three-pointers and seeing LaMelo Ball pass Dell Curry on the all-time scoring list, Charlotte’s surge from lottery team to playoff contender has reached a new level.
The Charlotte Hornets won 12 of their last 15 games. Four straight victories, all by double digits. A team that sat at 16-28 after a January loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers has climbed to 38-34 and pulled within two games of sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Something big was brewing.
Tuesday night, it arrived.
The Hornets annihilated the Sacramento Kings 134-90, tying a franchise record with 26 made three-pointers, a milestone previously set on March 14, 2025, in San Antonio, as documented by Athlon Sports. Eight players connected from deep. Seven made multiple threes. Charlotte led 72-47 at halftime and pushed the advantage to 46 points in the fourth quarter. The Kings had no answers, shooting 37-of-91 from the floor while getting out-rebounded 57-35.
Coby White led all scorers with 27 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three off the bench. Moussa Diabate posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Rookie Kon Knueppel added 14 points and moved into second place in franchise history for three-pointers made in a single season with 247, needing just 14 more to pass Kemba Walker. The 26 threes matched the franchise mark set March 14, 2025, in San Antonio.
Only three wins in Hornets history were larger: a 61-point demolition of the Memphis Grizzlies in March 2018 (140-79), a 55-point road blowout of the Utah Jazz in January 2026 (150-95), and a 52-point victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in February 1992 (136-84).
While the franchise had a night in history, one of its cornerstone players also had a trip to the franchise record books.
LaMelo Ball’s Historic Ascent
LaMelo Ball finished with 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting from deep, adding eight assists and six rebounds in just 25 minutes. The efficient night pushed his career three-point total to 931, passing Dell Curry (929) for second place on the franchise’s all-time list, an achievement reported by Athlon Sports.
Ball has played 61 games this season, his second-highest total since entering the league. When asked about Charlotte’s surge, he pointed to the locker room chemistry.
“Everybody friends, you know everybody cool, looking out for one another so it’s just all love for real,” Ball shared in comments viewed by the NBA’s official account. “And you feel like a real family, and if somebody is down we’ll pick them up.”
Ball’s recent dominance earned him Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. During that week, he averaged 26.3 points, 7.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals while shooting 50% from the field and 41.2% from three. Charlotte went 3-0.
The turnaround from despair to dominance is stark. After a 16-28 record in late January, the Hornets now sit at 38-34, within striking distance of the play-in tournament. For a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016, the wait may finally be ending.
Charlotte hosts the New York Knicks on Thursday in the fifth of its seven-game homestand. Every game now carries the weight of a potential playoff push, and the 44-point statement against the Kings sent a message to the rest of the Eastern Conference: the Hornets are no longer a team to overlook.
For more definitive analysis of the Hornets’ playoff push and NBA storylines, visit onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest, most authoritative sports coverage.
