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Charlotte Hornets: Lin leads comeback against Spurs

By John Woodcock

Mar 17, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Charlotte Hornets got a win against the San Antonio Spurs to keep pace in the race for a home playoff series.

The Charlotte Hornets lost to the Denver Nuggets and I was disgusted. This was the first time the Hornets had lost a game in this stretch that they should not have lost. The Dallas loss was regrettable, but understandable. The Denver loss was painful and out of nowhere.

So it should not have been expected that the Hornets would show up against the San Antonio Spurs when they made their visit a couple of nights later. The Spurs had just beaten the Warriors and should have been more than prepared the face the second most likely team in the NBA to shoot three pointers.

For the first quarter it looked like the Spurs were indeed prepared. They score twenty-eight while suppressing the Hornets’ offense to just seven. This could very well have been the sign that this game was over. Yet it still had three quarters to run.

The Hornets won each of the following three quarters. Ultimately it turned their fifteen point deficit to a 91-88 victory.

They did it due to the return of Jeremy Lin as an impact player. Though Lin had been solid from the bench, he got the opportunity to play more with smaller lineups used against the Spurs. Lin scored twenty-nine points in the game. He gave the team the lead in the fourth quarter and hit a big late shot to preserve the game for the Hornets.

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Wing Courtney Lee continued to show how good a fit he is with the team as he scored seventeen. Those points were big considering that normal scorers like Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson had low scoring outputs last night.

So the Hornets somewhat made up for their slip up against the Nuggets. They are now 40-30 on the year. They are half a game behind the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, and Miami Heat. So despite the Hornets being in sixth, they have a legitimate shot at the third seed. Remember that the fourth seed would give them a playoff series at home.

Next: Clogging the Playoff Race

The Hornets play a must-win game against the playoff eliminated Brooklyn Nets tonight on the road. Hopefully Kemba Walker will be ready to go for that one.

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