GALLERY: Photo GalleryVIDEOS: Team Highlights | Walker Highlights | James Borrego | Marvin Williams | Jeremy Lamb
By Sam Perley
The Hornets fell behind midway through the first quarter, but quickly got back out in front and never looked back as they rolled to a 118-107 victory over the Grizzlies on Wednesday, Jan. 23 in Memphis. This was Charlotte’s fourth straight win in Memphis and fourth straight win overall against the Grizzlies.
Kemba Walker paved the way for the purple and teal with team-leading totals in points (22), assists (7) and steals (4) to go along with two rebounds and just one turnover. The takeaways matched Walker’s season high, which he has accomplished on three other occasions and most recently on Dec. 9 in New York.
Memphis led 16-8 with 4:14 remaining in the opening frame before the Hornets closed out the quarter on a 15-6 run to take a one-point lead heading into the second. Despite enduring a handful of runs throughout the night, the advantage stretched to four at half and 10 by the end of the third as the Hornets soon closed out their fourth win in five outings.
“We just stayed tough. [Memphis] plays hard,” said Walker after the game. “They’ve been playing this way for a really long time. We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We stayed tough, stayed resilient and came out with a big win.”
Jeremy Lamb and Tony Parker each had 17 points, while Marvin Williams added 11 points and three rebounds, moving him past Elden Campbell for eighth place on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard (2,032). Nic Batum tallied 18 points (4-of-6 from three) and Bismack Biyombo just missed his third straight double-double with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Charlotte’s bench outscored its Memphis counterpart, 41-24. The visitors also had just nine turnovers and shot at least 53.0 percent or better from the field for the second time in three games (41-of-77; 53.2 percent). This also included a 12-of-30 clip from three-point range as well (40.0 percent).
“Our bench really helped us in that first half,” said Hornets Head Coach James Borrego. “We didn’t get off to a great start, but I think our bench played with a lot of energy that first half, really got us that lead and really pushed us ahead in that second quarter. I think our starters responded in the third quarter. A complete second half on both ends of the floor.”
Mike Conley racked up a game-high 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting and teammate Marc Gasol finished with 22 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists for his fifth-career triple-double and first of the season. Rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. (15 points), JaMychal Green (14 points) and Justin Holiday (10 points) also finished in double figures for the Grizzlies.
The Hornets now wrap up their three-game road trip against the Bucks on Friday, Jan. 25 starting at 8:30 p.m. ET in Milwaukee, WI.