Bobby Jackson finally got his revenge on the Hornets.

Jackson, traded from the New Orleans late last season, turned his game on in the fourth quarter, scoring 8 points to help lead the visiting Sacramento Kings to a 105-96 win over New Orleans.

Photo by Bill Haber / The Associated Press

New Orleans' Chris Paul (3) is fouled by Sacramento's Jason Thompson (34) during the Hornets' 105-96 loss to the Kings.

Only this time, defense was the culprit, not the offense, and so was a lack of effort for the totality of the game.

“I’m more pissed than anything to be quite frankly with you,” Hornets head coach Byron Scott said. “If we’re going to play in spurts like that, we’re going to win 41, 42 games. It’s going to be like that. We’re going to be so up and down. You can’t play in the Western Conference like that.”

Said guard Devin Brown, “I don’t know what it is, but we definitely came out flat.”

John Salmons scored a game-high 29 points for Sacramento (5-8) and all five Kings starters were in double figures.

After averaging 88 points in the past six games, the offense was able to put up enough to win. But the defense couldn’t come through, allowing the Kings to shoot a sizzling 54.7 percent.

Fourteen Hornets turnovers that turned into 24 Kings’ points didn’t help.

“They wanted it more,” Scott said. “Like I told the guy, they’re fooling themselves if they think they can step on the court and think teams are scared of them. We haven’t done anything for teams to be scared of us.”

The key run came a little more than a quarter of the way through the fourth.

New Orleans led 84-77 with 8:39 to go in the game.

But Sacramento chipped away, eventually tying the game at 84.

“I tried to get into it in the middle of the game,” said Brown, who scored 13 for New Orleans, “but Sacramento had so much confidence and they were hitting shots. We didn’t buckle down and definitely gave one away.”

The Hornets’ final lead came a short time later when David West sank an 18-footer.

And then Jackson took over. He drained a 3-pointer for a 90-88 Kings lead. Then he sank a 21-footer to push the lead to four.

The Hornets had no answer.

Chris Paul, who finished with 20 points and 15 assists, made a layup and the free throw after getting fouled by Spencer Hawes.

That cut the Sacramento lead to 96-91 with 3:28 to play. But Jackson came right back, nailing another trey.

New Orleans never got back within five the rest of the game.

Jackson finished the fourth quarter 3-of-4 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

New Orleans traded Jackson to Houston late in the 2007-08 season for Bonzi  Wells and Mike James. Wells is no longer with the Hornets and James hasn’t seen much action after a spotty beginning to the season.

“It was big,” Jackson said. “No one wants to get traded. Every team you play against you want to beat that team and play well. I didn’t make any shots in the first half, but this game is 48 minutes.”

West had 22 points for New Orleans, while Tyson Chandler added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Now the Hornets must pick themselves off the floor and find their form. Back-to-back games against Oklahoma City are up next, one on the road Friday before hosting the Thunder on Saturday.

They’ll have to find themselves in one day, however. Scott, for one, has given his advice on how to do that.

“I told each guy they have to go home tonight and look in that mirror,” Scott said. “Ask yourself if you’re playing as hard as you can play.”