Charlotte Hornets: Break Bad Luck Against Oklahoma City Thunder
The Charlotte Hornets sopped their losing ways right before their five game road trip.
The Charlotte Hornets got a shot in the arm when they broke their losing streak to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder last night 123-112 in a game that was much closer than the score would indicate. It was close enough at points to wonder if Russell Westbrook’s odd technical foul call may have turned the game.
The real story was the ability of the Hornets to get 123 points and beat the sixth team in the West without Cody Zeller. Roy Hibbert started in his place and got a couple blocks and provided five fouls. If the Hornets do any midseason dealing, look for Hibbert’s contract to be in the mix. He has one of the few deals that is up at the end of the season.
With Zeller out, the offense came from Frank Kaminsky in the first half. He scored all of his seventeen points in that period and was one of the main reasons the Hornets were still in the game at the half.
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Kemba Walker scored twenty on an off shooting night for him. He benefitted from his foul shots to make up the difference. More importantly Walker took over the assist role for the night with nine assists. That means he sort of flip flopped roles with Nicolas Batum.
Batum scored twenty-eight to lead the team. He was one of four Hornets in double figures though a number of others flirted with the number. Batum got his big number by making regular trips to the foul line, including twice on three point shots.
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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was given the yeoman’s task of guarding Westbrook. He harried Westbrook and picked up rebounds; that does not mean that Westbrook did not score thirty-three with fifteen rebounds of his own. It did take him thirty-one shots to get there.
The Hornets had been particularly bad against the Thunder in the Westbrook-Durant era. This win marked the first win in the series in a while.
The Hornets remain on top of the Southeast Division with a half-game lead over the Atlanta Hawks. They start their big road trip tonight in Detroit.