The Charlotte Hornets got a rare road win behind a surprising contributor.
The Charlotte Hornets received a hit to their plans whenFrank Kaminskywas hurt in the middle of a good performance against Phoenix. That reduced their big men depth even further and forcedCody Zellerto 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 this112-102victory. That allowed the Hornets to overcome some defensive lapses that occurred in the second half.Kemba Walkerpulled more magic tricks and scored twenty-seven.Nicolas Batumadded twenty-one with eight assists.Marvin Williams, Zeller, andJeremy Lambalso 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 toMarco Belinellifor an open three. That enabled the Hornets to keep the lead at a comfortable ten when it seemed that the Nuggets might storm back behindNikola 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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