Al Jefferson pulled a big game out last night against the Boston Celtics. The Hornets won 96-87 and they would have been nowhere without Big Al’s 23 points and 14 rebounds.
The storyline of the game was similar to many Hornets losses. The team built up a big lead, only to watch Boston threaten that big lead in the fourth quarter. That was when Jefferson shined, scoring eleven points of his total and keeping the Hornets ahead.
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Jefferson pointed out that the Hornets had now closed out two games in a row, suggesting that the team was starting to correct its bad habits. Jefferson also revealed that he played better down the stretch when he stopped thinking as much and just played. That was actually a big revelation to the Hornets season. The new players were causing everyone to be tentative before they can get comfortable and just play.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist played in limited minutes and got nine points. Kemba Walker had eighteen points and seven rebounds. Lance Stephenson scored thirteen points.
PJ Hairston did not play because of an unexcused absence from a practice.
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Former Tar Heel Tyler Zeller won the battle of the Zellers stat wise, outscoring Cody 13 to 9.
Former Bobcat Gerald Wallace was the only active Boston player that did not play. The Celtics got a triple-double from Rajon Rondo. Jeff Green had 16 points, Marcus Thornton had 16, and Brandon Bass had ten points.
The Hornets now have a two game winning streak to build off of. Some of the players still are not back yet. Kidd-Gilchrist is not one hundred percent yet. Noah Vonleh is still out. Jeff Taylor still has a few games to run on his suspension. The Hornets’ next game is on the road to Memphis to take on one of the West’s strong teams.