By Shane Skeary, hornets.com
THE RESULT
P.J. Hairston carried the Hornets with a Summer League-high 27 points and Josh Davis had another double-double (18 points, 14 rebounds), but Charlotte was ousted in the semifinals of the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League Tournament by the Houston Rockets, falling 83-79, on July 21 at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
TURNING POINTS
In a game that featured 10 ties and 13 lead changes, the Hornets Summer League hopes came down to its final possession. Trailing 81-79 with 9.9 ticks left in the game, P.J. Hairston inbounded to Mickey McConnell who swung the ball around the perimeter until it reached Kevin Dyson who misfired on the potential game-winning three. Nick Johnson collected the miss and sealed the game for the Rockets with two free throws on the other end.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
In a game where neither team shot the ball particularly well, the Hornets edged the Rockets in shooting from the field (35.7 to 31.2 percent) and from downtown (27.8 percent to 25.0 percent)… Led by Noah Vonleh and Josh Davis, Charlotte was able to establish their dominance down in the post as they outrebounded Houston, 50-48, on the glass and led the Rockets in blocked shots, 8-2… The Hornets were able to get to the line more frequently (32 FTA), but the Rockets committed less fouls (21) and shot a better percentage than Charlotte from the stripe (83.9 percent)… Each team committed 13 turnovers, but the Rockets held the edge in steals 8-6 over the Hornets.
HORNETS PLAYER OF THE GAME
P.J. Hairston did it all for Charlotte offensively as he put up a game-high 27 points and hauled down seven rebounds. It was Hairston’s highest point total in Summer League action and his sixth-straight game in double-figures.
ROCKETS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Isiah Canaan came up with clutch baskets and key plays all game for Houston. Canaan recorded a team-high 24 points in 33 minutes for the Rockets in the win.
GAME NOTES
The 23rd seeded Hornets finish the 2014 Samsung Summer League with a 3-4 record and went further in the tournament than many predicted… Noah Vonleh didn’t dazzle offensively (nine points on 2-of-12 shooting), but gave a great effort for the Hornets on the glass with a team-high 16 boards… Josh Davis continues to make a case for himself to make an NBA roster, as he finished with his second double-double of the summer (18 points, 14 rebounds) and was key in Charlotte’s ability to keep the game close… The Hornets were again without Cody Zeller, who was held out of the second-straight game.
NEXT UP
The Hornets will look forward to finalizing their roster for training camp in preparation for the upcoming 2014-15 regular season.