The Charlotte Hornets snap their eight-game losing streak in Sacramento against the Kings, 125-119. It was surely in large part due to the contributions of their star player, LaMelo Ball.

He has only played in seven games so far due to ankle injuries, so he is still trying to shake off some of the rust that might be lingering. In the first half of this contest, Ball only scored three points. It was a tale of two halves for him though because he finished with 23 points and 12 assists in just 27 minutes.

Ball was in foul trouble most of the night as well. He fouled out in the final 35 seconds of the game when there was not a decisive winner yet. Still, the Hornets were able to grind out a gutty win against a good Kings team. Both of their top players, De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, combined for 65 points. They had three other guys score in double figures as well. They played a well-rounded, but the Hornets played well.

They moved the ball well along the perimeter, Ball made great decisions with the ball down the stretch, but most importantly, they strung together timely stops down the stretch of the game. Which is something that coach Steve Clifford surely appreciates after questioning his team's effort on that end a week ago at home against the Detroit Pistons. It helps when you have everybody on the floor communicating and participating on that end of the floor. Good defensive plays could eventually lead to easier offense.

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LaMelo Ball fed off of his team's energy on that end. He was able to pour in 16 points in the fourth quarter, which is a career-high for him. Kelly Oubre poured in 31 points of his own starting for the injured Terry Rozier. They are going to need to try and replicate that same kind of performance when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers on December 21st in Crypto.com Arena.

In their first matchup at Spectrum Center, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George made their long awaited returns to their team. Leonard hit a game winning jumper to seal the game and silence the Queen City. Hopefully the Ball and the Hornets are ready for some payback. They got one win under their belt, now it's time to snowball some together and start a streak.