Rockets Make Statement in Win vs. Hornets

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The Houston Rockets are going into Christmas on the right note with a 114-101 win against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
Even though the Rockets won by 13, the game felt a lot more lopsided, especially considering the fact that the team led wire-to-wire and as much as 34.
The Rockets punched the Hornets in the mouth, taking a 31-point lead into the locker room at halftime. The Rockets led 62-31 and scored as many points in the first quarter that the Hornets had in the first half.
With the game being the second in as many nights, the Rockets knew they needed to put their foot on the gas early, and that's exactly what happened.
After losing to the Hornets in the first game of the season, the Rockets knew how dangerous they could be, and they made sure that a repeat of that game wouldn't happen last night.
With the win, the Rockets are now 20-9 as they go into Christmas Day with a lot to celebrate and a lot to look forward to in the new year.
Houston will have one more game on the road trip when it travels to the Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Pelicans, whom they beat last week at the Toyota Center.
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Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.