The Charlotte Hornets had a strong performance from three-point territory to pick up an easy 134-90 win over the Sacramento Kings at the Spectrum Center on Tuesday.

The Hornets should have provided umbrellas before the game because they rained three-pointers on the Kings. Charlotte tied the franchise record with 26 long bombs.

Coby White and LaMelo Ball each had six three-pointers to lead the offense. Coby White scored 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting and five rebounds off the bench, while Ball had 20 points, six rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

Ball accomplished another impressive feat after passing Dell Curry to move into second place in most three-pointers in team history. Ball is now behind only Kemba Walker.

LaMelo Ball is making history in Charlotte

Ball moved into second place all-time in three pointers made for the Hornets pic.twitter.com/Fs3xt0ffpf

– NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) 25 March 2026

The Hornets improved to 38-34 and are on pace to end their nine-year playoff drought, the league’s longest active skid.

Fans praised the 24-year-old Ball for his hot shooting against the Kings.

@TheFLReaper said, “No matter how high you rate LaMelo, he’s still underrated.”

“No one in the league makes it look that effortless, and LaMelo Ball knows it. The step-back three with those moves is insulting to every defender alive at the moment,” @littledijah said.

“He’s great. We need the Hornets in the playoffs,” @TopShelfJam wrote.

@RenzWinford posted, “Deeply Melo. A boy.”

“LaMelo is making Hornets history with depth,” @braxson_grey commented.

After consecutive years on the sidelines, Ball has finally been healthy this season, and it’s no coincidence that the Hornets are playing their best ball in years.

With Ball, White, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, Charlotte could make quite a stir in the playoffs.

Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant continues to add to his Hall of Fame resume late in his career, and what he accomplished on Saturday night against the Miami Heat may be his greatest accomplishment yet. By scoring his 27th point against the Heat, Durant passed Michael Jordan’s 32,292 career points to move into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

With this corner triple, Kevin Durant passed Michael Jordan to reach No. 5 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.pic.twitter.com/ItsOYrwo8e https://t.co/pY739bp1da

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 22 March 2026

Very few players can match the accomplishments that Jordan accomplished during his illustrious career, which is why this is such a great accomplishment for Durant. Already known as one of the most lethal scorers in NBA history, Durant now has a top-five scoring rating to back up that claim.

After passing Jordan for fifth on the all-time scoring list, Durant will now look to pass Kobe Bryant’s 33,643 career points, potentially moving him into fourth place sometime during the 2026-27 season. Karl Malone (36,928), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), and LeBron James (43,241 and counting) are likely out of Durant’s reach at this point in his career.

Jordan was considered by many players during the Durant era to be the greatest player in league history, including the 16-time All-Star. That’s why Durant is still surprised to see his name next to all the greats of the game, including Jordan.

“It’s great to be in the same category as some of the greatest players to ever play this game,” Durant said recently, via NBA.com. “He has added so much to the game that has inspired me to stay for so long.”

When he passed Dirk Nowitzki for sixth on the all-time scoring list against the New Orleans Pelicans on January 18, Durant said it was “crazy” to be on the list with a “legend” like Nowitzki.

Durant said, “I want to continue to make a lot of appearances, climb up the charts, just see how I finish. It’s been amazing so far.”

What makes all these late-career accomplishments even more amazing is the fact that Durant has continued to play like one of the best players in the NBA even after suffering an Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA Finals and missing all of the 2019-20 season.

Very few athletes are able to return to the sport they love after an Achilles injury and still remain effective. Not only has Durant done this, but his overall production and value have remained unchanged before and after the injury.

Durant has had one of the most decorated careers in basketball history, especially when you include his Team USA accomplishments at the Olympics, and surpassing Jordan on the all-time scoring list is another reminder of how great KD is.

LeBron James has spent more than two decades rewriting the NBA record books, but his latest milestone holds a special kind of significance. On Thursday night at Ball Arena, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar officially became the league’s all-time leader in field goals, surpassing the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Entering the game needing only two buckets to claim the throne, James wasted no time. With 8:12 remaining in the first quarter, he added his signature 14-foot turnaround jumper to tie the record. Moments later, he passed Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 15,837 with his 15,838th career field goal. Despite the hostile Denver crowd, the game stopped briefly as the accomplishment flashed in the Jumbotron, marking another chapter in the “Kings'” career.

“At the end of the day, just being added, and having my name mentioned with some of the greatest guys to ever play this game, it’s always humbling and pretty cool,” James told Spectrum SportsNet after the game. “I grew up watching, reading, analyzing a lot of great works.”

LeBron James makes the most field goals in NBA history 🗣️

“At the end of the day, just being added, and having my name mentioned with some of the greatest guys to ever play this game, it’s always been humbling and pretty cool. It’s a great thing. I grew up watching,… https://t.co/7XAXtJ1OV8 pic.twitter.com/1ZU3Qk3vur

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 6 March 2026

While the history was perfect, the game itself was a war. The Los Angeles Lakers struggled early against a surging Denver Nuggets team, falling 16–3. James finished the night with 16 points on 7 of 15 shooting, adding five rebounds and eight assists before exiting prematurely due to an elbow injury. Luka Doncic led the Lakers scoring with 27 points, but it was not enough to overcome the balanced Nuggets attack.

Nikola Jokic dominated with a triple-double, posting 28 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, while Jamal Murray added 28 points to secure a 120–113 victory for Denver. The loss drops the Lakers to 31-31, leaving them in a tight race for a postseason berth.

Even in defeat, the night belonged to James. At 41, he continues to bridge the gap between the legends he once studied and the history he is currently making.

DeMar DeRozan reached a career scoring milestone involving Paul Pierce during the Sacramento Kings’ matchup against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

DeRozan is in the 17th season of his NBA career, his second with the Kings. He stands out as one of the most experienced scorers in the league, showing solid nights on the offensive side of the ball.

Heading into Sacramento’s game with Houston, DeRozan has scored 26,391 regular season points throughout his career. This placed him 22nd on the all-time scoring list, behind John Havlicek’s 26,395 points and Pierce’s 26,397 points.

DeRozan needed six points to tie Pierce and seven to move past 20th. He completed the work. The veteran scorer had seven points in the first half, surpassing both Havlicek and Pierce in the process.

DeMar DeRozan, how the Kings played against the Rockets

This was an incredible accomplishment for DeMar DeRozan, surpassing NBA legends Paul Pierce and John Havlicek. However, he couldn’t top it with a win as the Kings suffered a crushing 129-97 defeat to the Rockets.

The game was over by halftime. Sacramento couldn’t find rhythm on defense and gave up 77 points in the first 24 minutes of regulation. The Kings never recovered from that poor start, unable to keep up with Houston’s offense.

Four players scored in double figures for Sacramento in the loss, including DeRozan. He finished with a stat line of 15 points, seven assists, one rebound and one steal. Russell Westbrook led the team with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists. Nick Clifford came next with 15 points and four steals, while Maxime Renaud provided 11 points and eight rebounds.

Sacramento fell to a 13–47 record on the season, finishing at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. They trail the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz.

The Kings will look to bounce back in their next game while on the road in Texas. They will face the Dallas Mavericks on February 26, tip-off at 8:30 pm ET.

Paolo Banchero capped the Orlando Magic’s four-game Western Conference road trip with a 36-point performance in a 110-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, but his impact extended beyond scoring. In consecutive matchups against Kawhi Leonard and Luka Doncic, Banchero took over the primary defensive duties, highlighting his ability as an elite two-way player.

Wendell Carter Jr., who recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes – including the game-winning putback – praised Banchero’s defensive focus and competitiveness.

“Man, when P gets locked in defensively he’s one of the best in this league. In my opinion he has the potential to be one of the best two-way players to play this game. He had two big challenges the other night with Kawhi and then tonight with Luka. He accepted that challenge. When he’s in that mode, when he’s locked in, man, it unlocks his team and takes us to another level.”

On Sunday, Leonard scored 37 points against Orlando, adding eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks, while shooting 14 of 25 from the field. Two nights later, Doncic faced a more disruptive defensive presence from the Magic. The Lakers star finished with 22 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds, but shot 8-for-24 from the field and 2-for-10 from 3-point range while committing two turnovers.

Wendell Carter Jr. on Paolo Banchero’s defense this season:

“When P is off defensively, he’s one of the best in this league. He has the potential to be one of the best two-way players ever…When he’s in that mode, it takes us to another level.” pic.twitter.com/qHDu8BIgJ6

– Julian Ojeda (@jowepafm) 25 February 2026

Paolo Banchero accepts the challenge of protecting elite scorers

Banchero addressed the defensive responsibility of protecting leading scorers throughout the league.

“Yeah, I think it’s just me, you know, accepting the challenge. You know, I think a lot of times, you know, coaches want to, you know, have some better players to guard a guy. They don’t have to expend as much energy. But, you know, getting Jalen out, Franz out, they’re our two best perimeter defenders. And so I know I’ve got to step up on that side of the ball. And I’m a big I feel like I’m a good defender, especially on one on, guarding big guys, big guards.”

He acknowledged the difficulty of controlling the stars but emphasized effort and physicality.

Paolo on defending Kawhi Leonard, Luka Doncic in the last two games:

“With Jalen and Franz out, I know I have to step up. I’m a big guy, I can step up. You can’t stop guys like that, but you can be tough on them – make them miss some, force them to work.” pic.twitter.com/HMurC2OMrI

– Julian Ojeda (@jowepafm) 25 February 2026

“And so guarding guys like that, you can’t stop them from scoring, but you can get your heart on them, make them miss some shots, just make them expend a lot of energy. So that’s just what I’m trying to do. Kawhi obviously had a big night, but getting some stops and making it difficult and, you know, seeing him as a great player and just a creator with the ball in his hands, you know, he just Know what my body is trying to show you, be there when it’s trying to show off, pretend.

Banchero’s offensive output remained steady. Against the Lakers, he added 10 rebounds and six assists while shooting 12 of 22 from the field and 10 of 11 from the free-throw line in 38 minutes.

Magic cover Luka Doncic as Banchero delivers late against Lakers

Head coach Jamahl Mosley emphasized the collective challenge of defending Doncic while highlighting Banchero’s timely shot making.

“Listen, sometimes when he shoots, you just have to hope it doesn’t go in. Because he’s so good and when the game was on the line, he took the big three that put them up by three. And Paolo comes back and hits one. As soon as he goes up in a corner, you know it’s good because that’s what he did. I’ve seen him do it. He did it when we were in Dallas when we played in Portland. I did the same thing. Saw the perfect shot. So you just have to keep mixing up the coverages against him, make it tough, try your best to make it without fouls, and just keep making it tough against him.”

Orlando limited Doncic’s efficiency, holding him below his season average of 32.5 points. With the win, the Magic improved to 31–26 and had road wins over both Los Angeles teams in the same season for the first time since 2012–13.

The Magic return home on Thursday to begin a four-game homestand against the Houston Rockets (35-21). As Orlando continues its push into the Eastern Conference standings, Banchero’s willingness to defend elite scorers while carrying the offensive load underscores the franchise cornerstone’s growing two-way ceiling.