Hornets Roll the Thunder, 121-98
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Hornets moved to six games above .500 with a 121-98 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night.
Last Friday, Hornets head coach James Borrego was not pleased with his team's performance against the lowly Orlando Magic. That was not the case this Friday as the Hornets wasted no time taking control of the game early. Charlotte went on an 8-0 run in the opening minutes and closed the quarter on an 18-5 run. Good ball movement and transition offense fueled the Hornets throughout both runs. Terry Rozier was the focal point of the offense going for 17 in the half, much of which came from attacking the rim.
The Thunder did have some success attacking the paint, but the defense improved dramatically once P.J. Washington entered the game. Washington's success on the defensive end carried over to the opposite end as he connected on four of five threes in the first 24 minutes. As a team, the Hornets hit ten threes in the first half helping them to a comfortable 69-52 lead at the break.
The Hornets had an eight-minute stretch in the third quarter where they went ice cold shooting 4/19 from the field. Oklahoma City brought it back to within nine following a three from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, but weren't able to get any closer during that stretch. Borrego eventually used a timeout to regroup and Charlotte ended the quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 93-75 lead into the fourth.
The Hornets pushed out the lead to 24 after a Terry Rozier four-point play (three and one). With the game well in their favor, Borrego emptied the bench with about four minutes to go.
The Hornets will be back in action on Sunday when they welcome in the Atlanta Hawks. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.
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