The New Orleans Hornets led for the entire first 3 quarters of Monday night's home game against the Sacramento Kings. As it has often this season, the 4th quarter got away from the fleur-de-bees, resulting in a 100-92 defeat.

After a weeklong absence, Chris Kaman returned to the New Orleans lineup with a solid outing. The big man, who was at home last week while the Hornets tried to look for a trade partner, finished with a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) in Monday night's defeat.

Starting PF Jason Smith (concussion) and backup PF Carl Landry (knee) both missed the game due to injury. As a result, Gustavo Ayon made the first start of his career. He didn't fare as well as he has coming off the bench. Ayon gave the Hornets a modest 4 points and 2 blocks. He did pull down 9 boards in 32 minutes of play.

Starting Center Emeka Okafor (pictured left) chipped in 19 points, and had a rare 7-7 performance from the FT line.

In addition to Smith and Landry, Jarrett Jack sat out as well. He missed his 3rd straight game with a sore knee. Greivis Vasquez did an admirable job in his place, registering a team-high 20 points and 9 assists.

The Hornets will stay home for the next week with 3 games at the Hive. Next up, a Wednesday matchup with the Chicago Bulls. Tip-off is set for 7:00.

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