Hornets throttle Jazz, win by largest margin in NBA this season

Grant Williams made his return, scoring 9 points in 14 minutes.

Jan 10, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) and Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) celebrate after making shot during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

After back-to-back disappointing losses, reinforcements were on the way for the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, as Grant Williams and Ryan Kalkbrenner were set to return to the lineup.

For Williams, he had previously missed the last 413 days after tearing his ACL against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 23rd.

Despite Kalkbrenner's return, Charles Lee went with the lineup that has been dominating the league when healthy: LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate.

The dominitation did not stop on Saturday's matchup with the Utah Jazz, as the Hornets pulled out to an early 39-8 lead in the first quarter. They finished the first quarter leading 45-14, pulling off their highest scoring quarter of the entire season.

The Hornets continued to dominate into the second quarter, carrying a 77-38 lead into halftime. No one Hornet was having a scoring outburst, rather, the entire team was pouring in. The Hornets top four of Ball, Bridges, Knueppel, and Miller played just three quarters, racking up a +37, +23, +21, and +36 in the victory.

The Hornets were able to take a 57 point lead at the 7:25 mark of the fourth quarter, marking the team's largest lead of the entire season.

The Hornets blowout ensured that Tre Mann, who had been a DNP in five of the last six games, would get into the ballgame. Mann was able to make the most of his few minutes, recording 20 points on 7/10 from the field.

After back-to-back heartbreaking losses, the Hornets were able to get back into the win column in electric fashion, with a 150 to 95 victory over the Jazz. When healthy, the team continues to put together wins, and doing so in blowout fashion.

The Hornets continue their road trip on Monday, taking on the Los Angeles Clippers in the Intuit Dome.

Grant Williams

After missing the last 413 days recovering from a torn ACL, Grant Williams made his grand return to the Hornets lineup on Saturday. Williams played in just 14 minutes, scoring 9 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. He hit 3 threes, grabbed 4 offensive rebounds, and was a +31 in his 14 minutes on the night. Grant did not look like he lost a step in the slightest, and was an immediate positive impact to the Hornets rotation.

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