DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 39 points to pass one of the game’s all-time greats on the career scoring list, but that wasn’t enough to stop the surging Charlotte Hornets.
LaMelo Ball had 30 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the Hornets to a 117-109 victory over the Kings on Thursday before a crowd of 15,597 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Miles Bridges scored 26 points for the Hornets (34-33), who have won eight of their last 10 games. Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel had 24 points and seven rebounds. Brandon Miller scored 20 points.
DeRozan went 17 of 22 from the field and 5 of 5 at the free-throw line to surpass his previous season high of 37 points while passing Tim Duncan for 18th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
“I don’t take nothing in this game for granted,” said DeRozan, 36, a six-time All-Star in his 17th NBA season. “I never would have imagined coming into the league I would be playing this long, I would have the opportunities I’ve had, I would accomplish things I have.
“Me just being a fan of the game my whole entire life, it’s an honor to be in a position to accomplish any type of goal in this league. It’s crazy to be in that position and I don’t take none of this for granted. I just love playing basketball at the end of the day, and at the end of the day, you look up and things like this happen. It’s definitely cool.”
Kings coach Doug Christie marvels at DeRozan’s work ethic, professionalism and dedication to the game.
“It’s really an honor to be able to coach somebody like that,” Christie said. “As I’ve said to you guys many times, to watch him go about his business and understand what it takes to be on that type of level, it’s really impressive.”
Rookie Nique Clifford had 18 points and seven assists for the Kings (16-51), who were coming off back-to-back wins over the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers. Precious Achiuwa had 14 points and eight rebounds. Daeqwon Plowden came off the bench to score 13 points.
The Kings had only nine players in uniform with Russell Westbrook (quad), Zach LaVine (finger), Malik Monk (ankle), Devin Carter (calf), Keegan Murray (ankle), De’Andre Hunter (eye), Domantas Sabonis (knee) and Dylan Cardwell (ankle) out due to injuries.
Sacramento started Killian Hayes — the team’s only available point guard — in place of Westbrook. Clifford and DeRozan also took on a share of the ballhandling duties.
“It will be by committee at points,” Christie said before the game. “I think substitution patterns may have to dictate some early subs to make sure we have people who can handle the basketball, but you go play. They’re going to throw the ball up at 7 and were going to be there to try to win the game.”
The Kings looked like they might be on their way to a win in the opening half.
Sacramento led 34-29 after shooting 65% in the first quarter. The Kings went up by nine midway through the second quarter. The Hornets came back to take a 54-53 lead on a 3-pointer by Ball with 3:27 remaining in the first half, but the Kings led 62-59 at the halftime break.
The Hornets outscored the Kings 8-2 to start the second half. They went up by five on a 3-pointer by Bridges, stretched the lead to nine on a layup by Bridges and carried a 90-85 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Charotte led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter. The Kings got within six on a jumper by Clifford with 26.6 seconds remaining, but by then it was too late.
DeRozan returns to lineup
DeRozan returned to the lineup 24 hours after an illness forced him to miss his first game of the season in Tuesday’s win over the Bulls, ending his streak of 126 consecutive games.
“I was pissed. I ain’t going to lie,” DeRozan said. “I was pissed off. I actually drove in, and I felt like s—, excuse my language. I should have just stayed home, but I drove in thinking if I got here I would feel good enough to play.”
Keegan Murray question
Murray is expected to be reevaluated later this week after missing the past seven games due to a left ankle sprain. Christie was asked if the Kings have considered shutting him down for the rest of the season.
“For me, if he’s available, I’m putting a jersey on his back,” Christie said. “That’s a question that goes above my head. We’ll have conversations about it, and we’ll see where that takes us, but as a coach, he’s a dream as a player. Love coaching him, so if he’s available and ready to play, I’m going to throw him into the game for sure.”
Up next
The Kings will visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday before returning to Sacramento to face the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
The Clippers (32-32) had won five of six going into Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are led by Kawhi Leonard, a seven-time All-Star who is averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 10:50 PM.
Jason Anderson is The Sacramento Bee’s Kings beat writer. He is a Sacramento native and a graduate of Fresno State, where he studied journalism and college basketball under the late Jerry Tarkanian.