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While it certainly wasn’t the start that the Charlotte Hornets were envisioning in Oklahoma City on Monday night, the final three quarters and result more than made up for it, culminating in a 134-116 road victory over the hometown Thunder.
Once again, it was Terry Rozier leading the way for the purple and teal, as he racked up 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting, six rebounds and four assists for his fourth 30-point performance since the All-Star Break. Miles Bridges was right behind him with 27 points and six assists, while also matching his season high with five 3-pointers on just six attempts.
The Thunder bolted out of the gates and used an 18-1 run to help build a 47-29 lead by the 10:26 mark of the second quarter. Charlotte quickly regrouped to close the frame on a 36-17 stretch and take a one-point advantage into the break. The Hornets then rode a 22-8 wave into a 37-27 third-quarter triumph before putting away Oklahoma City for good in the fourth.
“It started with better defense. I didn’t love our first-quarter effort there,” said Hornets Head Coach James Borrego afterwards, when asked about the team allowing 41 points in the opening frame. “They did not feel us early enough in that game. I thought the second, third and fourth they did. We picked our defense, ball started to move, obviously we made shots and that got us going. I’m proud of the response. It’s not the start we wanted, but the response was there.”
“Not to be cocky, but I feel like every year in March, maybe it’s the birthday, I’m just feeling good,” said Rozier. “I kind of takeoff. Hopefully, I can stay healthy and keep applying pressure, but all the credit goes to my coaches and teammates for just allowing me to be me.”
Oklahoma City dropped its sixth straight game and 10th consecutive at Paycom Arena with the loss. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the injury-stricken Thunder with 32 points, good for his eighth 30-point showing in the past 10 games.
Charlotte allowed just 75 points on 41% shooting from the second quarter on and drained 20-of-35 total long-distance attempts (57%), marking back-to-back outings with 20+ 3-pointers for just the second time this season (Nov. 26-27). The squad also had a season-low five turnovers and turned 18 Oklahoma City giveaways into 27 points.
Added Borrego, “That’s our growth. Every possession matters. We value every possession – both sides of the ball. Taking care of the ball, getting good shots on offense, getting good clean looks, then getting stops defensively. Sometimes, they’re going to make shots. It’s the NBA. There are good teams, but if we’re following the gameplan, have effort, we’re prepared and trust each other defensively, I can live with that. Really proud of the guys. They played great tonight.”
The Hornets will now begin a season-long five-game homestand starting on Wednesday, March 16 against the Atlanta Hawks at 7 PM ET.