Hornets end their four-game losing streak with close win over the Jazz

The Charlotte Hornets, losers of four straight, came out of the gates swinging against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Charlotte unleashed a barrage of three-pointers in the first quarter, running their lead up to 14 before the Jazz slowly chipped away.

Rookie forward Tidjane Salaün was the start of the first half, cashing a trio of triples as a part of the Hornets' early bludgeoning of Utah. The Jazz, however, refused to go quietly into the night, cutting the deficit to seven before the half ended.

Brice Sensabaugh, who hit three first half three-pointers of his own, opened up the second half with eight of the Jazz's first ten points. A late flurry by Utah's Keyontae George ended a competitive third quarter with the Hornets up by a deuce.

A hotly contested fourth quarter came down to a final minute possession for Utah with Charlotte up three. Kyle Filipowski, the former Duke Blue Devil turned Utah Jazz rookie, secured a late rebound and afforded Utah a chance to tie the game with a late three pointer.

Charlotte shut down Utah's offensive set, KJ Simpson recorded a defensive rebound (his seventh of the game), and the Hornets survived the end-of-game free throw contest and won their 19th game of the season.

Best of the night: Tidjane Salaün's continued ascendance

His statistics are still meager compared to some of his draft mates, but the game is starting to slow down a bit for the talented rookie. Salaün's three-point stroke is a proven threat, but the rest of his floor game continues to improve nightly as he receives more reps on the ball.

The Frenchman looks much more comfortable attacking closeouts and driving the ball, albeit with the occasional Shaqtin' a Fool highlight thrown from time to time. The decision to draft Salaün was always a move with 2025-26 and well beyond on the brain, but recent returns continue to raise the proverbial stock price of the developing rookie.

Worst of the night: 18 turnovers

Charlotte continued their struggle with holding onto the ball, but were able to overcome it tonight. Sensabaugh and rookie sensation Isaiah Collier led the way with three Jazz steals.

Highlight of the night: Moussa Diabaté throwing down his nightly hammer

.@MoussaDiabate_ slams it down! #HiveMentality | @drpepper pic.twitter.com/vZJZcqADZo
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) April 1, 2025

Had Diabaté dethroned Miles Bridges as Charlotte's premier dunker? People are starting to ask the question.

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