By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
A tightly-contested affair late in the first half quickly turned into a rout by the end of the third quarter as the Hornets cruised to a dominating 113-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, April 8, in Charlotte. Kemba Walker led six Hornets players in double figures with a team-high 22 points as Charlotte moved its record to 46-33, matching its highest single-season win total since the 2000-01 NBA campaign. Wayne Ellington knocked down a team-high 21 points for Brooklyn, which lost its seventh-consecutive game.
Turning Points
Trailing 41-39 with 3:30 remaining before halftime, the Hornets rolled off a 34-14 run that stretched midway through the third quarter, giving them a commanding 73-55 lead over the visiting Nets. Charlotte ended up connecting on 12-of-24 field-goal attempts (50.0 percent) while forcing five Brooklyn turnovers in the frame to increase its lead to 84-64 by the start of the fourth. From that point, the Nets were never able to get back in it as the Hornets managed to empty their bench with about six minutes remaining in the game to finish off their fourth-straight win over Brooklyn.
Inside the Box Score
Kemba Walker knocked down a game-high 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and a season-high-tying three blocks in the win for Charlotte… Troy Daniels exploded for 17 points (5-of-7 from three-point range) and three rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench… Nicolas Batum returned from a two-game absence to finish with 14 points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists… Marvin Williams added 12 points, three rebounds and a game-high-tying three steals… Frank Kaminsky (12 points) and Jeremy Lin (11 points) also scored in double figures for Charlotte… Al Jefferson tacked on six points, a team-high nine rebounds and a season-high-tying five assists… Cody Zeller tied his career high with five blocks… Wayne Ellington led the Nets with a team-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting (5-of-7 from three-point range)… Thomas Robinson recorded a huge double-double with 16 points and a season-high-tying 17 rebounds (12 offensive)… Sean Kilpatrick also finished with 16 points along with two rebounds, two assists and two steals… Chris McCullough added 12 points, three rebounds and a game-high-tying three steals in his first career NBA start… Shane Larkin dished out a game-high eight assists from Brooklyn… Charlotte connected on 17-of-20 attempts from the free-throw line (85.0 percent) while Brooklyn hit just 11-of-20 (55.0 percent)… The Nets edged out the Hornets on the glass, 45-42, which included a 16-10 advantage in offensive rebounds… Charlotte knocked down 14-of-37 three-point attempts (37.8 percent), which is its 49th game of the season with 10-or-more made three-pointers (second-most in NBA behind Golden State).
Hornets Player of the Game
Troy Daniels came out of nowhere to finish with 17 points (5-of-7 from three-point range) and three rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench in the Charlotte victory. This ties Daniels’ second-highest scoring performance of the season and is also the most he’s scored in a game since dropping a career-high 28 points against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 25.
Nets Player of the Game
Thomas Robinson had a monstrous night, finishing with 16 points and a game-high and season-high-tying 17 rebounds (12 offensive) before fouling out after 31 minutes of play. This is Robinson’s sixth-consecutive double-double and his 12 offensive rebounds are also the third-highest single-game total of any NBA player this season.
Game Notes
Jeremy Lamb was sidelined for the Hornets (toe)… Brook Lopez (rest), Thaddeus Young (rest) and Willie Reed (personal) did not play for Brooklyn… Charlotte notched its first season sweep of the Nets since the 2000-01 NBA campaign.
Next Up
The Hornets kick off their final regular-season road trip of the year against the Wizards at 12 p.m. on Sunday, April 10 in Washington D.C. This game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.