Hornets Comeback Falls Just Short to the Pelicans
Las Vegas, NV - Well it was certainly not the start that the Hornets wanted, as not only did they trail by 20 points after the first quarter, but they only scored five points. The Hornets didn't score their first point until the 1:46 mark of the quarter, when Kobi Simmons scored on a floater.
The Hornets shot 2-17 in the quarter, while having 8 turnovers. It's safe to say the Hornets were colder than a polar bear on ice.
The second quarter went much better for the Hornets. The Hornets outscored the Pelicans 29-14 in the quarter. Leaky Black got the Hornets going in the quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, which were his first points of the summer league.
Nick Smith Jr broke the seal for the Hornets starters after he scored a bucket around the 5 minute mark, which was the first basket by a Hornets starter. However, Smith Jr shot just 1-8 in the first half.
One of the standouts in the first half was James Nnaji, who had a strong first half with 2 points 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Bryce McGowens also was a big standout with 11 points in the second quarter alone, while adding three three-pointers.
The Hornets trailed 39-34 at halftime to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Hornets were battling hard in the third quarter keeping it within three to five points. However, the New Orleans Pelicans responded on a 10-0 run to conclude the third quarter, which resulted in a 14 point lead for New Orleans after three.
Dereon Seabron, who was the Pelicans leading scorer tonight, got it going in the third quarter with nine points. For the Hornets, James Bouknight, who had just two points in the first half, recorded nine in the third quarter.
The Hornets gave it their all to form a comeback as they got it as close as four. However it just wasn't enough as Dyson Daniels and the Pelicans held the Hornets off.
Bouknight had an impressive second-half scoring 26 of his 28 points in that half alone. An encouraging sight for Hornets fans and definitely a confidence boost for Bouknight.
Leaky Black had the opportunity to make it a two-point game with 16 seconds remaining, but missed a corner three-pointer.
Top performers:
Hornets:
James Bouknight: 28 points 7 rebounds 4 three-pointers
Bryce McGowens: 19 points 4 rebounds 4 three-pointers
Pelicans:
Dereon Seabron: 20 points 6 rebounds 1 steal
Dyson Daniels: 16 points 5 assists 3 steals
The Hornets will play one more summer-league - the date and matchup is yet to be determined.
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