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Charlotte Hornets: Johnny O’Bryant on the JOB against the Nuggets

By John Woodcock

Mar 4, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Johnny O'Bryant III (8) and guard Nicolas Batum (5) defend against Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) in the second quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Johnny O'Bryant III (8) and guard Nicolas Batum (5) defend against Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) in the second quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Charlotte Hornets got a rare road win behind a surprising contributor.

The Charlotte Hornets received a hit to their plans when Frank Kaminsky was hurt in the middle of a good performance against Phoenix. That reduced their big men depth even further and forced Cody Zeller to add big minutes while still coming back from a leg injury. It also forced the Hornets to play their ten day contract band aid a bit more.

That would be Johnny O’Bryant, and the reserve big man saw plenty of action on the road against the Denver Nuggets last night. O’Bryant did an admirable job replacing Kaminsky’s production for one game. He scored fifteen points and collected six rebounds. He even let a fly a three point shot.

It would be fair to point out that O’Bryant had just come from Denver, so there is no team in the league that he would have known as well. This also means that a repeat performance may not be around the corner, but we can certainly dream. For one night, at least, it worked. The Hornets need all the small miracles that you can get.

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If not for O’Bryant, the commentary on this game would note how balanced the Hornets’ production was in this 112-102 victory. That allowed the Hornets to overcome some defensive lapses that occurred in the second half. Kemba Walker pulled more magic tricks and scored twenty-seven. Nicolas Batum added twenty-one with eight assists. Marvin Williams, Zeller, and Jeremy Lamb also finished in double figures.

There was a lot of good ball movement. One play that stuck out was Zeller pulling a move on his man and then sending a pass perfectly to Marco Belinelli for an open three. That enabled the Hornets to keep the lead at a comfortable ten when it seemed that the Nuggets might storm back behind Nikola Jokic’s thirty-one.

It was a good team victory and hopefully it built some momentum which will help the team as it plays the Pacers tomorrow night.

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