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Huerter, Mitchell propel Kings past Hornets

Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images Sport / Getty

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Huerter scored 26 points, Davion Mitchell added 23 points including two clutch jumpers late in the game as the Sacramento Kings rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat the Charlotte Hornets 115-108 for their second straight win.

Huerter and Mitchell combined to go 10 of 16 from 3-point range and Harrison Barnes added 14 points as the Kings outscored Charlotte to 37-18 in the third quarter.

P.J. Washington, who scored 31 points in an upset win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, again led the Hornets in scoring with 28 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 16 for Charlotte.

Charlotte’s Jalen McDaniels knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:09 left to tie the game, but Mitchell answered right back with a 3-pointer and a 19-footer on consecutive possessions to put the Kings up by five with 24.2 seconds left.

Like the Hornets, the Kings were coming off a big win Saturday night after beating the Miami Heat at home.

It didn't look good early for Sacramento as the Hornets shot 60.5% in the first half to build a 67-52 lead at the break with all five starters finishing in double figures.

But the Kings stormed back in third quarter, outscoring the Hornets 37-18 behind 12 points from Huerter. Matthew Dellavedova gave the Kings their first lead of the game with 3:43 left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from the right wing.

The Hornets would battle back to take the lead in the fourth quarter before the Kings rallied again with Huerter and Keegan Murray banging home back-to-back 3s with 4 1/2 minutes to play.

For Charlotte, Washington continued to take advantage of his elevation to the starting role with restricted free agent Miles Bridges still out of the league while dealing with domestic violence charges. Bridges led the Hornets in scoring last season and the team is waiting to see what happens legally before making any decision on Bridges' future.

TIP INS

Kings: Domantas Sabonis had 16 rebounds before fouling out with 2:24 left in the game. ... Made 24 of 28 free throws.

Hornets: Continued to play without LaMelo Ball (ankle), Terry Rozier (ankle) and Cody Martin (quad). ... Outscored Sacramento 54-34 in the paint.

UP NEXT

Kings: At Miami on Wednesday night.

Hornets: At Chicago on Wednesday night.

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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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