Hornets: Charlotte's season-best streak of five consecutive 100-point games ended. That's why their defense has been good all year." "They're so good defensively, in the first quarter we just had a tough time making shots and everything was contested," said Hornets coach Steve Clifford. Jefferson and Kemba Walker combined to shoot just 4 of 20 from the field. He finished with his 11th straight game of 25 points or more. Westbrook, coming off of a 34-point effort in Thursday's win at San Antonio, started the game shooting 7 of 9. The Thunder played their fifth straight game without MVP Kevin Durant, who has a sprained ankle. "We were hungry."īrian Roberts came off the bench to lead the Hornets with 17 points, 11 in the final period.Īl Jefferson, averaging 19.1 per game, didn't get his first basket until there were four minutes left in the first half and finished with just four points. "It was good that we didn't come out flat and came out with some energy," Westbrook said. Neither player saw action in the final period. Serge Ibaka added 13 points, 14 rebounds and blocked four shots for the Thunder. Westbrook scored 13 points in the first quarter, and Oklahoma City opened a 59-40 halftime lead. We locked in defensively and throughout the game it was solid."Ĭharlotte scored the game's first basket then the Thunder reeled off nine straight points to take a lead they never relinquished in winning for the second straight day. "We talk about playing a defensive brand every night and in back-to-back games to come back with a defensive effort for 48 minutes," Brooks said. Russell Westbrook scored 29 points to lead Oklahoma City to a 98-75 victory over Charlotte on Friday night, snapping the Hornets' season-high four-game win streak.
This leads us to the five roster moves the Charlotte Hornets need to make this offseason.OKLAHOMA CITY - Thunder coach Scott Brooks was worried his team would be tired after a tough win in San Antonio a night earlier. This is a tremendous core that the Hornets front office can continue to add to in seasons to come. As both are aged 22, they are in the same age group as Graham who is 24 and Rozier who is 25.Īlso in this age group are both Caleb Martin and Cody Martin who are 24 and Miles Bridges who is 22. Washington developing further into the players they are going to be in the NBA. There is hope for the future with both Malik Monk and P.J. This is a solid return for two players in their first year together. They combined for 36.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 11.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game. The fact that they were able to finish ninth in the East is a testament to the quality of their playing group and coaching staff.ĭevonte’ Graham and Rozier were a tremendous, yet undersized pairing in the Hornet backcourt. Since Kemba Walker was traded to the Boston Celtics in the sign and trade deal involving Terry Rozier, a question mark has hung over the Hornets. How did the Charlotte Hornets do in their first season without Kemba Walker? They have been middle of the road too long and need to have lucky breaks like this. Each time they have made the postseason in this period they have been bounced in the first round. The Hornets have only made the playoffs three times since 2004-05. This has the potential to be a huge boost to a team that has been in the middle of the pack, outside the playoffs more often than not. In fact, the Hornets moved all the way up to pick number three in the 2020 NBA draft. Fortunately for the Hornets this had no negative impact on their position in the draft. Thanks to the poor play of the Washington Wizards in the NBA bubble the Charlotte Hornets moved from 10th in the East to ninth, without playing a game. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) After their first season without Kemba Walker, here are five roster moves the Charlotte Hornets must make this offseason.
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