The Charlotte Hornets were down big after a big third quarter by the visiting Sacramento Kings. Point guard Kemba Walker decided to take over in the fourth and final quarter and the Hornets hacked out an impressive comeback victory winning in overtime, 127-122 on Monday (Tuesday in Australia).

Walker finished with a season-high 39 points, including 21 in the crucial fourth, on 16-of-23 shooting overall and 4-of-6 from behind the arc and added 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots to lead the Hornets to the second biggest comeback in the franchise’s history.

Hornets forward Nicolas Batum had a near triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists for the Hornets, which improved to 6-1 at home. The first half ended at 60-all but the Kings outscored the Hornets, 31-14 after the break.

Behind Walker and timely hits from bench players Jeremy Lin and Frank Kaminsky, the Hornets came all the way back from a 22-point deficit and tied the game at 108-all with over a minute to go in the game. Lin had 14 points, Kaminsky had 9 points and Jeremy Lamb added 11, also off the bench. Lin scored half of his points total, 7 in the overtime period.

DeMarcus Cousins led the way for the losing side with a double-double of 30 points and 11 rebounds but was benched late in the fourth quarter and the extra period. Rudy Gay, who hit a buzzer-beating alley-oop shot to send the game into OT, had 28 points on 13-of-21 shooting plus 10 rebounds.

The Hornets now have won three in a row and has gone 8-3 since losing three straight to start the season. After winning three consecutive games since Cousin’s return from injury, the Kings have suffered three losses the past four games.

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