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Kings hold off Hornets

Mar 12, 2015 - 3:28 AM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins combined for 73 points in the Sacramento Kings' 113-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

McLemore and Gay had 27 and 26 points, respectively, for the Kings, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Cousins tallied 20 points and 14 rebounds.

"When Ben is clicking, myself and Rudy, we're a good team," said Cousins.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ended with 23 points and nine boards for the Hornets, who have lost two in a row since a five-game winning streak. Mo Williams contributed 20 points and eight assists, Gerald Henderson added 17 points and 11 assists and Marvin Williams scored 13 points.

Hornets guard Kemba Walker returned to the lineup and recorded six points in 16 minutes of action. He missed 18 games due to knee surgery. However, Charlotte watched center Al Jefferson exit in the third quarter with a sore right calf.

"He heard something pop, so that's obviously concerning," said Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.

Trailing 92-84, the Hornets went on an 11-2 run to take the lead. Kidd- Gilchrist tallied seven points during the burst to make it 95-94 with 5:04 to play.

Gay stopped the bleeding with two free throws and Cousins followed with a personal 6-0 spurt. Cousins' alley-oop slam gave the Kings a 102-95 edge with 3:21 left.

But the Hornets fought back and got within 106-104 on Mo Williams' layup with 1:05 remaining. Gay responded with a three-point play and added a jumper around a Henderson layup, making it 111-106 with 18.2 seconds to go.

The Kings led 51-46 after the first half, which featured four lead changes and seven ties. It was 78-78 heading to the fourth.

Ahead 85-84, the Kings put together a 7-0 run. McLemore converted a three- point play and made a technical free throw to make it 92-84 with 7:32 to play.

Game Notes

Jefferson had nine points and six rebounds before leaving ... The Kings went 25-of-30 from the foul line, while the Hornets went 16-of-26 ... Charlotte forward Cody Zeller sat out with a right shoulder sprain.