By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
A fourth-quarter rally by the Hornets came up short for the second time in as many nights as they fell to the Portland Trail Blazers, 93-91, on Saturday, Dec. 16 in Charlotte. Nicolas Batum led the way with a game and season-high 23-point performance as the Hornets dropped a fifth-consecutive home game for the first time since Nov. 17-Dec. 3, 2014 (6).
Turning Point
After Charlotte cut the deficit to 65-63 by the 3:35 mark of the third quarter, Portland unleashed a 18-4 run to open up a 16-point advantage with 10:26 left in the game. The Hornets did rally in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t take advantages of multiple opportunities down the stretch as they dropped their third-straight game overall.
Hornets Player of the Game (Pick up your Nicolas Batum gear here)
Nicolas Batum snapped out of his recent slump with a season-high 23 points (season-high 5-of-9 from three-point range), four rebounds and five assists in the loss. Batum managed to score 18 of his points in the third quarter, matching the largest output by any Hornet player in any quarter this season (Malik Monk - 18; fourth quarter vs. Milwaukee on Nov. 1).
Trail Blazers Player of the Game
Damian Lillard finished with 18 points on 7-of-19 shooting, seven rebounds and a game-high 11 assists in the victory. This is Lillard’s fourth double-double overall this season and first since Nov. 15 against Orlando.
Game Notes
Dwight Howard totaled nine points, a game-high 15 rebounds (third-consecutive game with 15+ rebounds), four assists and two steals… Kemba Walker added 14 points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists… Jeremy Lamb chipped in 15 points (7-of-7 from the free-throw line) and four rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist came up just short of a double-double, finishing with nine points and eight rebounds… Johnny O’Bryant left the game at halftime (personal) and did not return… Portland turned the ball over 19 times leading to 19 Charlotte points, while the Hornets had just seven giveaways leading to eight points for the Trail Blazers… Charlotte shot 7-of-31 from three-point range (22.6 percent) compared to Portland, which connected on 10-of-24 shots from behind the arc (41.7 percent).
Quote of the Night
“Our guys fought, once again. I’m proud of them for fighting, we got in another deep hole, down 16 and we fought all the way back and had multiple opportunities down the stretch to either tie the game or take the lead.” – Charlotte Hornets Associate Head Coach Stephen Silas
Next Up
The Hornets will take on the New York Knicks starting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 18 in Charlotte. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.