After hitting that three, Wang Yi and Danny checked out, replaced by Westbrook and Mouth Brother.
Little Danny, Tures, and Bond joined them.
Westbrook came in and immediately hit a three. Then he used his high shooting percentage to draw a double-team and pass the ball.
Mouth Brother was getting up there in age, but he was still as efficient as ever.
Westbrook and Mouth Brother played the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, and the deficit shrank to four points.
The Kings' bench was getting old, but both of them were highly efficient, making the Kings' bench depth one of the best in the league.
Next, the starters took the court.
After they came on in the second quarter, they stopped deliberately looking to pass to Towns. But with Towns on the team, they still had to take him into account when moving the ball, so their offense wasn't as fluid as it had been last season.
The Hornets, on the other hand, had two shooters who could space the floor, plus Wemby to distribute the ball. That made their ball movement flow beautifully.
Before long, the deficit had grown again.
But whenever it threatened to reach double digits, Wang Yi would stop the bleeding with a three-pointer.
By halftime, the Kings were trailing the Hornets by seven.
Things continued this way until the second half of the third quarter.
At that point, the Kings were down nine, and the gap looked ready to stretch beyond ten. Wang Yi hit a three, bringing it back to six.
Then Wang Yi, Danny, and Towns checked out to rest, and Westbrook and Wiggins came in.
This time, however, the two of them didn't have the same impact they'd had in the first quarter.
Westbrook clanked two