By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com
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Result
Dwight Howard scored a game-high 25 points and brought down 20 rebounds to go with six blocks but the Hornets could not get their big man a win on his 32nd birthday, falling to Chicago, 119-111, in overtime on Friday at Spectrum Center.
Turning Point
After rallying to force overtime, Charlotte came out flat in the extra session, connecting on just 14.3 percent (1-of-7) of its field goals, none of its three-point attempts (four) and 37.5 percent (3-of-8) of its free-throw attempts. Despite never leading in the extra session, the Hornets had a chance to tie things up with 1:32 remaining in the OT but Nic Batum’s three-pointer from the left baseline was off the mark. Lauri Markkanen connected on two free throws on Chicago’s ensuing possession to give the Bulls a 115-110 cushion with 1:04 remaining as they took the road victory.
Hornets Player of the Game (Pick up your Dwight Howard gear here)
Dwight Howard became the first Charlotte player to record 25+ points, 20+ rebound and 5+ blocked shots in one game, finishing with 25 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks. It marked Howard’s second 20+ point, 20+ rebound game this season. He is tied with Detroit’s Andre Drummond for second in the NBA this season. New Orleans’ DeMarcus Cousins leads the league with three. Howard is the third Charlotte player to record multiple 20/20 games in a single season (Larry Johnson, 93-94 and Emeka Okafor, 07-08).
Bulls Player of the Game
Lauri Markkanen scored a team-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting (53.3 percent) from the field, 3-of-5 (60.0 percent) from long range and 5-of-5 (100 percent) from the charity stripe. He also led Chicago with five points in overtime. Markkanen added 12 rebounds to record a double-double.
Game Notes
Kemba Walker finished with 20 points and five assists. He recorded his 3,000th career field goal and now has 3,004. Walker joins the franchise’s all-time leading scorer Dell Curry as the only two players in Charlotte history to make 3,000+ field goals… Marvin Williams had a season-high-tying 17 points tonight on 6-of-11 shooting including 3-of-5 from behind the three-point line… Treveon Graham posted a season-high-tying 12 points, including nine in the fourth quarter… Nic Batum dished a season-high 10 assists tonight (previous: 7 vs. CLE 11/15) and added nine points and six rebounds… The Hornets recorded 11 blocks, with four players registering at least one, including a season-high six from Dwight Howard (previous: four, done multiple times)… The Hornets are now 6-1 when leading after three quarters of play.
Quote of the Night
“We just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch. There were times in the game where I felt like we were making runs, pushing them to the brink but we just couldn’t put them away. They fought hard. They played hard. They got stops. They made shots and they won the game.” - Marvin Williams
Next Up
The Hornets close their four-game homestand with a 7 p.m. tip on Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers. The game can be seen on Fox Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.