Hornets Get Gassed by Houston After the Rockets Take Off in the Second Half
The Charlotte Hornets lost heartily — 138-104, a blowout — to the Houston Rockets tonight, with things completely unraveling for the Hornets starting in the third quarter. Ultimately, it was a disappointing follow-up for the Queen City team, who were back home after losing on the road to the record-low Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. The Hornets are now 10-33 for the season.
Things began promisingly. Brandon Miller immediately got a good look and sunk a three to start the game, followed by a Nick Richards basket. Talk about setting the tone at Spectrum Center. With only one bucket under the Rockets' belt at that point, the Hornets were leading by 7 points after Cody Martin was fouled during a layup and made two free throws. Plus, Miller dropped Dillon Brooks.
As often happens, though, the visitors came back, at least enough to make it a back-and-forth first quarter. That didn't keep Miles Bridges from reeling off a right-handed dunk to the delight of the Charlotte Hornets' home crowd. Brandon Miller was also back working his magic but had to sit down after three fouls. Frank Ntilikina made his first Hornets three-pointer. Still, the first 12 minutes ended in a Rockets lead, 30-28.
LaMelo Ball sat out the second quarter — the first night of a Charlotte doubleheader, after all — as the Hornets and Rockets stayed neck and neck. (Miller kept sitting, too.) And Nick Richards, after a career-high 21-point game for Charlotte on Wednesday, racked up 12 points for Buzz City in the first half. So did Bridges. But the Hornets still met halftime barely behind, with the second quarter ending in a 55-53 Houston lead.
Melo and Miller returned for the third, but the Rockets started to strip away with a 72-62 lead four minutes into the back half. Ish Smith got more minutes as a Melo replacement. Martin grabbed another layup with a Melo assist. But this was not Melo's game. At this point, Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green was the game's high scorer with 25. And things only got worse for the Charlotte Hornets. Houston scored 44-25 over the Hornets in the third quarter. It was a discouraging 101-76 Rockets lead.
What could the Hornets have done to overcome a 25-point deficit to start the fourth? For Hornets fans, this situation isn't unfamiliar. But it's not like it happens to Charlotte every game. It's just that sometimes, the opposing team gels better on the floor. For the Houston Rockets this evening, Green's stellar performance — not to mention solid contributions from Brooks, Fred VanVleet, and Alperen Sengun — made the difference. The game ended in a disheartening 138-104 loss for Charlotte.
Best of the Night: Jalen Green
As illustrated above, the Houston Rockets' Jalen Green had a monster game. He logged a whopping 36 points, nine rebounds and four assists when the game was over. Undoubtedly, the Rockets exploded tonight.For the Charlotte Hornets, Bridges was the high scorer tonight with 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Melo had 15 points, Richards had 14, Martin had six, and Miller had five.
Up Next: The Hornets face the Utah Jazz on Saturday (Jan. 27) at 7 PM EST.
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