By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
Too many mistakes and miscues cost the Hornets dearly as they fell to the visiting Houston Rockets, 107-95, on Thursday, Feb. 9 in Charlotte. Despite another strong start to the game, things fell apart for the Hornets in the second half again as they were outscored by 16 total points in the final two quarters on their way to a season-high 22 turnovers. Charlotte has now dropped eight of its last nine games and has also been swept in its season series with the Rockets for the fifth time in six years.
Turning Point
Trailing 54-50 at halftime, Houston knocked down 11-of-19 field-goal attempts in the third quarter (57.9 percent), including a 7-of-12 mark from three-point range (58.3 percent) to open up a 10-point advantage over the Hornets entering the fourth. James Harden finished with 14 third-quarter points alone for the Rockets, who outscored Charlotte by an overall margin of 36-22 in the frame. Houston managed to maintain its lead for the rest of the game on its way to a third-consecutive victory.
Hornets Player of the Game
Nicolas Batum came up just shy of his second triple-double of the season, tallying a team-high 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and a game-high 10 assists in the loss. Batum has now recorded a team-high-extending 13 double-doubles this season and also had eight-or-more first-half assists for the fifth time in his NBA career.
Rockets Player of the Game
James Harden tallied game-high totals in both scoring (30 points) and rebounding (11) to go along with eight assists in the victory. This is Harden’s 25th game of the season with 30-or-more points, which is the second-highest total in the NBA behind Russell Westbrook (29).
Game Notes
Kemba Walker added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists… Marvin Williams tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals… Marco Belinelli chipped in 10 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished with eight points, a team-high nine rebounds and a season-high-tying four assists… Charlotte’s 22 total turnovers led to 27 points for the Rockets. This is the first time the Hornets have had 22+ turnovers in a game since Nov. 5, 2013 (22)… Houston outscored Charlotte in fast-break points, 21-7… James Harden accounted for nine turnovers, the most by any individual player against the Hornets in any game this season.
Quote of the Night
“A lot of times I’d say you have to watch the film. You don’t have to watch the film tonight. It’s pretty simple. If you’re going to turn the ball over 22 times, you’re going to lose every single time. There are certain things in this league that you can’t do against certain teams like a team that’s as talented as they [Houston] are. Then you give yourself no chance to win. That was it.” - Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford
Quote of the Night
“A lot of times I’d say you have to watch the film. You don’t have to watch the film tonight. It’s pretty simple. If you’re going to turn the ball over 22 times, you’re going to lose every single time. There are certain things in this league that you can’t do against certain teams like a team that’s as talented as they [Houston] are. Then you give yourself no chance to win. That was it.” - Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford
Next Up
The Hornets will take on the Los Angeles Clippers at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 in Charlotte. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
next up
Saturday Feb 11 - 5:00 pmSpectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
Fox Sports Southeast - Charlotte Hornets App & WFNZ 610 AM