By Matt Gorry, hornets.com
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The Result
The Hornets went blow-for-blow with the heavyweight Clippers before Los Angeles pulled away in the second half to cruise to the 113-92 win on Nov. 24 in Time Warner Cable Arena, sending Charlotte to its sixth-straight defeat.
Turning Points
Facing off with Los Angeles star-studded lineup, the Hornets held their own in the first half, keeping the game close behind a balanced scoring attack. Charlotte out-scored the Clips 30-25 to head to the locker room only down three (56-53). But L.A. came out of the half on fire, riding a 12-4 spurt to open the third quarter to grab an 11-point advantage (68-57). The lead swelled to as much as 14 points while the Hornets never got closer than six points and saw their losing skid hit six games – longer than any such streak last season.
Inside the Box Score
Charlotte shot 41.3 percent (31-of-75) from the floor but was hindered by a 2-for-20 mark (10 percent) from behind the arc… The Clippers shot lights out, draining 15-of-32 (46.9 percent) attempts from deep and 51.1 percent overall… Los Angeles held the edge on the boards (43-33), assists (28-21) and points in the paint (42-34) to cruise to the victory… The Hornets went to the line 35 times, hitting 28 attempts (80 percent), while the Clippers were 8-of-10 from the stripe… Cody Zeller led the way for Charlotte with a team- and career-high 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He was also 7-for-8 from the charity stripe… Al Jefferson converted 50 percent of his shots (7-of-14) for 16 points to go along with nine rebounds… Kemba Walker added 15 points, six assists, five boards and three steals… Brian Roberts was 5-of-9 from the field for 11 points off the bench.
Hornets Player of the Game
Cody Zeller provided a huge lift for the Hornets in the paint, posting a career-best 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He added a rebound, a steal and a blocked shot in 28 minutes off the bench.
Heat Player of the Game
Chris Paul facilitated Los Angeles’ high-scoring offense, tallying a double-double of 22 points and 14 assists.
Game Notes
Charlotte was short-handed once again with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist missing his seventh-straight game with a foot injury and P.J. Hairston sitting out his fourth straight with an ankle injury… The Hornets backcourt took another hit after Gary Neal left the game in the fourth with a left shoulder contusion… Gerald Henderson earned the start once again and finished with eight points and three assists… Marvin Williams added seven points and four boards… Lance Stephenson handed out six assists to go with three points and three rebounds… Neal finished with eight points before leaving… Bismack Biyombo continued his strong play off the bench with five points and nine boards in 16 minutes of action.
Next Up
The Hornets continue their gauntlet of a Thanksgiving-week schedule when they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to town on Nov. 26. The game can be seen on FOX SportSouth or heard on WFNZ or on the Official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.