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Kings visit Hornets in search of third straight win

Jan 26, 2007 - 5:11 PM Sacramento (17-23) at New Orleans (16-25) 8:00 pm EST

OKLAHOMA CITY (Ticker) -- Ron Artest has enabled the Sacramento Kings to put a positive spin on a negative month.

Artest looks to lead the Kings to their fourth victory in five games when they open a four-game road trip Friday against the New Orleans Hornets.

One day after the first anniversary of the trade that brought him to Sacramento from Indiana for Peja Stojakovic, Artest is averaging 21.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in January.

The league leader in steals (2.24), Artest averages 17.3 points this season and has sparked the Kings to their recent success after they lost seven in a row, including three in overtime.

Sacramento is coming off Wednesday's 114-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Artest scored 36 points and Kevin Martin added 18 for the Kings.

The Hornets have lost three of their last four and are just 4-7 this month. They continue to struggle without reigning Rookie of the Year Chris Paul, who is out with an injured right ankle, and Stojakovic, who underwent back surgery.

The Hornets are looking to bounce back from losses on consecutive nights, including Wednesday's 90-88 defeat to the Toronto Raptors. Rasual Butler scored 19 points and Bobby Jackson had 17 off the bench.

Sacramento has lost its last three road games against the Hornets. This is the first meeting of the campaign between the teams.