Bryce McGowens has big fourth quarter to lead Hornets over Kings in California Classic
Bryce McGowens hit big shots in the fourth quarter to lead the Charlotte Hornets to an 86-82 victory over the Sacramento Kings in the California Classic on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
McGowens, who came out of Nebraska as the 40th pick in the 2022 NBA draft, scored 12 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter to help the Hornets finish 3-0 in the tournament. He went 9 of 17 from the field, 2 of 6 from 3-point range and 9 of 12 at the free-throw line.
Zavier Simpson scored 17 points for Charlotte. Jake Stephens recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Nick Smith Jr. added 11 points and five rebounds.
Sacramento was led by Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., who had 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting with nine rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Adonis Arms had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Kings, who finished 2-1 after winning their first two games.
Xavier Sneed posted 15 points and nine rebounds for the Kings. Antoine Davis added 14 points with three rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocked shots.
Sacramento has two teams in this year’s dual-site California Classic with Kings 1 playing at Golden 1 Center and Kings 2 competing at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Kings shuffled their rosters on the final day of the action in Sacramento. Fardaws Aimaq, Kenan Blackshear, Jordan Ford, Arms, Davis and Sneed were assigned to Kings 1.
Isaiah Crawford, Boogie Ellis, Keon Ellis, Colby Jones, Isaac Jones, Mason Jones and Drew Timme were assigned to Kings 2 after leading Kings 1 to victories over the Chinese national team and San Antonio Spurs.
Kings 2 will play the Golden State Warriors for the Mitch Richmond Trophy in the inaugural Battle of NorCal on Wednesday at Chase Center on the final day of the California Classic. The trophy is named after the Hall of Fame player who spent the majority of his career with the Kings and Warriors.
Ford, the former Folsom High School star who spent last season with the Kings on a two-way contract before becoming a free agent this summer, was ruled out Tuesday due to illness. Aimaq was held out because of an abdominal contusion.
The Kings trailed 20-17 after going 7 of 23 (.304) from the field in the first quarter. They came back to take a 30-24 lead when Sneed converted a four-point play to cap a 13-2 run. The Kings led 45-40 at the halftime break after making 11 of 19 (.579) from the field in the second period.
The Hornets staged a 12-0 run to take a 56-50 lead midway through the third quarter. They led 64-54 going into the fourth quarter.
The Kings cut the deficit to three after starting the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run. They tied the game on a 3-pointer by Sehmus Hazer with 7:13 remaining.
The Hornets went up 75-68 on a dunk by Nick Smith Jr. The Kings made one last charge to cut the deficit to three on a 3-pointer by Arms with 24 seconds to go, but they couldn’t get any closer.
This story was originally published July 10, 2024 at 12:38 AM.
