The Kings witnessed the extremes during their back-to-back games in Memphis, Tenn., where they lost 109-94 to the Grizzlies, then met a tougher New Orleans team.

Kings coach Reggie Theus said to expect more.

"The hardest thing with a young team is consistency," he said. "We go seven games playing great defense, and (Tuesday against Memphis) it vanished. We talked about it. We made a couple tweaks and changes. That made the difference."

The biggest tweak was Theus' decision to insert rookie Donte Greene into the starting lineup at small forward.

Not only did Greene make his first NBA start, Theus continually went to the rookie, allotting him 35 minutes mostly through three quarters while sticking to an eight-player rotation.

Greene, with a wide smile after the game, said he was happy with his 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including 3 of 4 from three-point range.

"It felt great," Greene said. "I've been waiting, working hard, conditioning. Kevin (Martin) and 'Cisco (Francisco Garcia) have been out a while, and I felt like I should have slid in there earlier, but I had to wait my turn. It paid off for me."

John Salmons finished with a game-high 29 points and six assists, while the Kings rallied from three-point range to hit 7 of 19 attempts (36.8 percent). That was a one night after hitting 3 of 19 three-pointers (15.8 percent) against the Grizzlies.

The Kings opened the second half moving the ball and quickening the tempo. Jason Thompson's fast-break layup just over a minute into the third quarter gave the Kings a 57-56 lead, their first of the night.

Then came a series of plays that resulted in boos from the announced crowd of 15,533.

The Kings fought for loose balls. They grabbed offensive rebounds. They ran. And, most importantly to Theus, they stepped up defensively.

But as quickly as the Kings turned that momentum into a nine-point advantage, the Hornets responded with a series of fast-break opportunities, followed by Tyson Chandler blocking Thompson's shot and, fittingly, Peja Stojakovic's three-pointer to tie it 69-69.

The Kings and Hornets traded baskets from there with seven lead changes and two ties in the third quarter, which ended with the Kings leading 77-76.

Bobby Jackson and Salmons carried it from there, each scoring eight points as the Kings outscored the Hornets 28-20. Jackson hit two of three three-point attempts, including a 23-footer that gave the Kings a 90-88 lead they didn't relinquish.

"That's how I play," said Jackson, who was moved out of the starting lineup to make room for Greene.

Theus decided the rookie's length would be better suited to guarding Stojakovic, whose shooting woes continued with a 3-of-8 night from the field for seven points.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521. To get breaking news alerts and game scores sent to your phone, text Kings to 72737.