Zach LaVine scores season-high 42 points to help Kings beat Hornets 130-88

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Zach LaVine scored a season-high 42 points in his finest game with Sacramento since being acquired in a multi-team trade near the deadline, leading the Kings to a 130-88 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.

LaVine hit eight 3-pointers and shot 16 of 19 overall as the Kings earned their first home win over the Hornets since 2021. LaVine has scored in double figures in all eight games for Sacramento.

DeMar DeRozan had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Kings (29-28). Malik Monk scored 13, Keegan Murray added 10 and Domantas Sabonis finished with seven points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Miles Bridges scored 23 points for the Hornets. LaMelo Ball and Nick Smith Jr. each scored 13 points, and Jusuf Nurkic and Moussa Diabate scored 12 apiece for Charlotte, losers in 12 of their last 14 games.

LaVine hit four 3-pointers and shot 8 for 9 in the first half as the Kings built a 20-point lead.

Hornets: Coming off a 53-point loss to Portland two nights earlier, the Hornets showed plenty of poise early, but couldn’t sustain it attack.

Kings: This might have been the most cohesive game that Sacramento has played since acquiring LaVine. That's a good sign as they try to hold onto the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

The Hornets stunned the Kings with an 8-2 spurt coming at the start, but that was about as good as it got for Charlotte. Over the next six minutes Sacramento responded with a 23-10 run and never looked back.

The Hornets have lost their last two games by a combined 95 points.

Charlotte continues its trip Tuesday at Golden State. Sacramento plays at Utah on Wednesday.

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Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) looks to shoot over Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) is guarded by Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)

Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) drives past Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) passes the ball past Sacramento Kings forward Jake LaRavia (33) and Jonas Valanciunas, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)

Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie gestures during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) discusses an official's call with referee Natalie Sago (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)

Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) looks to shoot over Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)

HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.

But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”

U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.

The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.

Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.

Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.

Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”

About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.

The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.

Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.

Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”

Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)