The Charlotte Hornets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder113-101in a msut-win game to win their first victory in the state of Oklahoma.
The Charlotte Hornets did it again. Pulling together their roster, they took on a Western Conference foe and defeated them to keep their playoff chances alive. Instead of the Denver Nuggets, this was the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder had previously been unbeaten at home against the Bobcats-Hornets franchise, but that was before yesterday.
The first topic of any Thunder game has to beRussell Westbrook. He was the star of the game, but he did not prevail in the final score. Westbrook had forty points, thirteen rebounds, and ten assists to get ever closer toOscar Robertson’s record for triple-doubles in a season. He has been amazing this season (as hasJames Hardenof Houston), but one has to wonder if Westbrook will only be part of a title contender again when paired with a great post player. Robertson neededKareem Abdul-Jabbarto win a title.
Enough with the perfunctory Westbrook mention, this game was about the Hornets winning, not Westbrook failing to pull his team over the hump with his stats. With that mind we have to look at the scoring pattern. That story has to start withKemba Walker. The star point guard is once again pulling out all the stops for the team. He scored twenty-nine including going 50% from the three point line. What is even better about this performance is that it came against Westbrook’s praised defense.
More from Charlotte Hornets
- Charlotte Hornets: Return would have provided valuable experience
- Charlotte Hornets: Regrading the 2010 NBA Draft
- Charlotte Hornets win what could be final game of the season
- Charlotte Hornets: Tank now or buzz towards the playoffs?
- Charlotte Hornets travel to face Pistons with focus on the future
However, like Westbrook, Walker cannot win games by himself. He would have lost the duel with Westbrook by eleven without the rest of the team. Instead there was a 113-101 win. The slack got picked up in this game by some bench players.Frank Kaminskyenjoyed another big game with eighteen and 60% from the three point line. Former Thunder memberJeremy Lambstepped up instead of theMarco Belinelliperformance we have come to expect. He score thirteen.
Non-shooters also got in on the act.Michael Kidd-Gilchristhad the dual challenge of tracking Westbrook and finding sixteen points of his own. He andCody Zeller(eleven points) found opportunities in the post as the Thunder had track Walker on defense.
In the end it took a team effort to deny Westbrook. Everybody did something positive to make that happen. The Hornets now find themselves a game out of eighth place where the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are currently tied. The Bulls are just a game further up in seventh. The Hornets will take their game-by-game to their biggest challenge yet, a road matchup against the Washington Wizards.
Add us as a preferred source onGoogleLoading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations