What we learned as Sabonis' double-double not enough vs. Hornets

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SACRAMENTO -- In their first game back at Golden 1 Center since Dec. 4, the Kings were relieved to be back playing in front of a sold-out home crowd. 

But it wasn’t quite the homecoming they had hoped for. In search of their third straight win, the Kings’ efforts fell short on Monday night, losing 125-119 to the Charlotte Hornets. 

Sacramento did not look like itself in the first two quarters. Careless turnovers, lazy defense and sloppy offense plagued the Kings for the first 24 minutes. Anyone not named Domantas Sabonis looked like they hit the snooze button on the court. 

Perhaps it was the road trip fatigue after being away for nine days and six games. However, it will need to be figured out soon. 

Here are three takeaways from a disappointing loss to the Hornets. 

The Double-Double King

We cannot let this loss overshadow what Sabonis is doing on the floor. 

The first half, scratch that, the entire game was all about Sabonis. 

With 4:09 remaining in the second quarter, Davion Mitchell swung the ball to the corner, where Sabonis stood waiting behind the arc. 

Splash. 

With that 3-pointer, Sabonis recorded his eighth consecutive double-double (12 points, 14 rebounds) before halftime. It didn’t take him long to rack up more points and boards in the time remaining, either. 

At the half, he had 14 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. His 16 boards set a new franchise record for rebounds in a half. 

His 21 double-doubles lead the league this season. Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is second in the league with 20, followed by Anthony Davis (18), Tyrese Haliburton (18), Bobby Portis (17) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (16).

Sabonis finished with 28 points, 23 rebounds and seven assists. 

It’s his fourth consecutive game with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. He’s the second player in Sacramento history to notch four consecutive games with that stat line. 

Disappointing defense 

Mike Brown implemented a new defensive culture after being named head coach over the summer. 

Brown always has emphasized the importance of defense, but the Kings' defense-first mindset disappeared on Monday. 

From the very beginning of the game, the Hornets ran all over Sacramento's defense, getting into the paint with ease and knocking down big shots repeatedly. 

Even when Sacramento started to get into a groove on offense, the Hornets quickly would respond on the other end of the court with a shot of their own. 

In a game that ended up coming down to the wire, the Kings never gave up and even regained the lead late in the game. But their early defensive mistakes ended up haunting them in the end. 

A free throw nightmare 

The Kings were aggressive in attacking the paint and got to the free throw line with ease. The problem, however, was what they did with their opportunities at the charity stripe. 

Sacramento shot just 17-of-31 from the line, a disappointing 54.8 percent. That’s 14 missed points -- missed free points -- that ended up mattering in a down-to-the-wire, six-point game. 

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The nightmare continued for Kevin Huerter late in the fourth quarter. Down 109-107, Huerter got to the free throw line and had a chance to tie the game with 4:44 remaining. 

Huerter missed the first one. And then, even more shockingly, proceeded to miss the second. 

The loss wasn’t Huerter’s fault, of course. But it goes to show how major free throws can be at times, and how much the Kings really, really need to work on them.