Terry Rozier Highlights vs Pistons - 02/27/23
The Charlotte Hornets extended their winning streak to a season-best five games on Monday night with a 117-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons, but it came at a bitter cost with star point guard LaMelo Ball suffering a right ankle fracture.
Ball’s injury occurred early in the third quarter and at the time, appeared to be rather inconspicuous until an X-ray later revealed the unfortunate break. His final nightly statline featured 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range, six rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes of play.
Charlotte drained all seven of its first-quarter 3-point attempts to take a 41-21 lead after the opening 12 minutes, marking the team’s most 3-pointers in a quarter without a miss since at least 1997-98, per Elias Sports. The hot shooting was part of a 41-12 first-half run that helped the Hornets enter the break ahead by 19. Detroit roared back though with a 27-12 stretch that bridged the third and fourth quarters to get within five with 4:36 to go, before Charlotte ripped off another 8-0 run to put the game away.
“The only thing you can do is watch the film, learn from it and then focus on what we have to do tomorrow in practice to get ready for Wednesday,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford afterwards, when asked about Ball’s injury. “It’s tough, too, because he was starting to play so well, and the team obviously was playing better and better. They’re not going to wait for us. They’re going to keep score Wednesday night, too, so we’ve got to be thinking about the things that matter.”
Added Gordon Hayward, “Injuries are the worst part about the game. I feel like we were starting to figure some stuff out [on the court] and then another injury. Certainly, disappointing and tough for him, tough for our team. The most important thing when you are injured is stay positive and have a good support system around you. He’s young, so he’ll bounce back for sure, but it’s always tough in the moment.”
Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting, while Hayward (19), Kelly Oubre Jr. (18) and Mark Williams (15) also scored in double figures. Williams grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to tally consecutive double-doubles for the first time in his NBA career. Charlotte shot 51.8% and 50.0% from 3-point range (13-of-26) – good for its second-best 3-point efficiency of the season – and has now won five straight for this first time since March 11-21, 2022.
Reserve Hamidou Diallo had a season-high 23 points off the bench for the Pistons, who drained a season-low 3-of-26 3-point attempts (11.5%) and saw their three-game winning streak against the Hornets come to an end. James Wiseman also had 23 points and Marvin Bagley III tied a season high with 21 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the campaign.
The Hornets will cross the half-way point of their four-game homestand when they host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, March 1 beginning at 7 PM ET. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.
Hornets vs Pistons Gallery ‑ 02/27/23
1 / 12CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 27: Nick Richards #4 of the Charlotte Hornets goes to the basket against the Detroit Pistons on February 27, 2023 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
