Charlotte Scores Season-Low 86 PTS, Defense Regroups After Rocky Opening Quarter
Another slow start on offense held back the Charlotte Hornets in Brooklyn on Sunday night, resulting in a 102-86 road-trip-opening loss to the new-look Nets at the Barclays Center.
For the third straight contest, Kelly Oubre Jr. was the Hornets’ leading scorer with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Terry Rozier was right behind him with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. Rookie Mark Williams had 10 points and 14 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the campaign, although saw his 11-game block streak come to an end.
Led by Mikal Bridges’ 19 first-half points on 9-of-9 shooting, the Nets outscored Charlotte, 51-24 between the 5:08 mark of the first quarter and the mid-way break to open a 29-point lead. Now tasked with overcoming their second-largest halftime deficit of the season, the Hornets eventually got going and pieced together a 24-2 run between the third and fourth quarters, but it was way too little, too late in the soon-to-be blowout loss.
“Obviously, we’re limited to a certain degree and tonight, we just weren’t patient enough,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford afterwards, when asked about the team’s offensive issues. “That ball’s got to move more. We’re going to have to play to the second side of the floor offensively more than we were willing to do tonight. Our offensive energy wasn’t good, but it all started with just the right mindset. You don’t play well on offense if you don’t have good readiness either and that was the biggest part.”
Dennis Smith Jr. (15) and Gordon Hayward (12) scored in double figures as well for the Hornets, who also had PJ Washington – eight points on 3-of-11 shooting and eight rebounds – back in the lineup following a four-game absence. Charlotte shot just 37.5% – good for its fourth-lowest seasonal mark – and has now failed to crack 100 points in two of its three outings since LaMelo Ball’s season-ending ankle fracture.
Added Clifford, “For the most part, these guys have handled an incredible amount of bad luck and adversity all year. We played really hard. Our effort and energy have been the best things that we’ve done. Tonight, was not the case. The energy and effort haven’t been an issue all year. It’s something you always worry about as a coach, but that’s what we’ve been good at.”
Bridges finished with 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting for a Nets team that scored only 32 second-half points on a 25% efficiency (11-of-44). Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points and dished out eight assists, helping Brooklyn secure its first season-series sweep of Charlotte since the 2012-13campaign.
The Hornets will stay in the Big Apple to face the New York Knicks on Tuesday, March 7beginning at 7:30 PM ET. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.
