More Coverage: Game Action Gallery | Head Coach James Borrego Postgame | PJ Washington Postgame | Terry Rozier Postgame
The Charlotte Hornets took control on Sunday night with a huge third-quarter stretch and then held off a late Trail Blazers comeback attempt to seal a 109-101 victory at Spectrum Center, snapping a season-high-tying four-game skid.
Terry Rozier finished just two boards short of a triple-double, racking up a game-high 34 points on 7-of-13 shooting from three, eight rebounds, 10 assists and two steals in the win. Rozier has now double-doubled in consecutive games for the second time in his career (and second time this season) and is now the first player in franchise history with back-to-back outings of at least 25 points and 10 assists, per Basketball Reference.
Charlotte started the game in impressive fashion by outscoring Portland 44-24 on 77% shooting in the opening frame, matching its quarterly scoring season high. The advantage shrank to 14 at halftime and 11 by the 8:03 mark of the third, but the Hornets quickly turned the tables with a 21-3 run over the next four minutes, leading to a 90-61 lead. Carmelo Anthony led a furious rally to get Portland within nine late in the fourth, but Charlotte ultimately hung on for the win.
“I would say we got off to a good start,” said Coach Borrego after the win, his 100th overall as an NBA Head Coach. “We shot the ball well, the ball moved. The spacing was great, everybody was touching the ball and the ball was going through the net. I think our group grew tonight. For us to withstand that run, we’ve seen that before and we haven’t caved. This group continues to stay with it in fourth quarters.”
He added, “I thought Terry was great tonight. He came out, he set the tone, he was making shots, close to a triple-double – an all-around performance by Terry. It’s got to be one of his finer performances as a Hornet. He said to me before the game, ‘We need this one. I’m going to give you what I can tonight and you ride me as much as you need me to get this one.’ He was locked in and tuned in from the start.”
PJ Washington returned from a three-game absence to finish with 23 points on 5-of-11 shooting from three, eight rebounds and four blocks in 34 minutes off the bench. Miles Bridges followed up his career night in Brooklyn with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks and Jalen McDaniels was also in double figures with 13 points and six rebounds.
Anthony finished with 24 points on 6-of-12 from three in 28 minutes for Portland, who was without the NBA’s third-leading scorer in Damian Lillard (hamstring). CJ McCollum (22) also crossed the 20-point barrier, while Norman Powell (17; 1-of-8 from three), Jusuf Nurkić (12) and Enes Kanter (12) also recorded double-digit scoring performances for the visitors.
Charlotte finished the outing shooting 47% and 42% from long range (18-of-43), while also recording eight blocks. Portland, who entered the game as one of the NBA leaders in turnover percentage, finished the game with just nine giveaways leading to eight opposing points, while scoring 20 points on 14 Charlotte giveaways.
The Hornets will now embark on a two-game road trip which gets underway against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, April 20 beginning at 7:30 PM EST. Catch the action on Bally Sports and WFNZ 610 AM or 102.5 FM.