By Sam Perley, hornets.com
more on:
charlotte hornets
photo gallery and stats
See what you've missed from the:
video footage
Check out video coverage from:
Result
Looking to extend their winning streak to a season-best five games, the Hornets started strong and held on late in the fourth quarter to notch a 104-96 victory over the Nets on Sunday, Feb. 21, in Brooklyn. Leading the way once again for Charlotte was Kemba Walker, who scored a game-high 28 points as the Hornets improved to 2-0 following the All-Star Break. Joe Johnson knocked down a team-high 17 points for Brooklyn in the loss.
Turning Points
With the game tied at 26 in the closing moments of the opening frame, a Kemba Walker three-pointer sparked the beginning of a 22-7 run to give the Hornets a 48-33 lead with 4:33 remaining before halftime. Although Brooklyn managed to trim Charlotte’s lead down to seven at the break, the Hornets retook a double-digit advantage after outscoring the Nets, 31-25, in the third. Brooklyn drew within four points at the 4:41 mark of the fourth but a 9-0 run put Charlotte up 104-91 with under a minute left, ending any hope of a late comeback for the Nets.
Inside the Box Score
Kemba Walker tallied a game-high 28 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals… Al Jefferson exploded off the bench for 18 points and seven rebounds in his second game back following knee surgery… Nicolas Batum flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists… Marvin Williams came up just short of a double-double with nine points, a game-high 12 rebounds, a season-high-tying four assists and two steals… Jeremy Lin chipped in 11 points, five rebounds and two assists off the bench… Cody Zeller also finished in double figures with 10 points… Courtney Lee scored five points in his Hornets debut… Joe Johnson knocked down a team-high 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Nets… Brook Lopez tallied 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double… Thaddeus Young (14 points), Wayne Ellington (13 points) and Markel Brown (12 points) also scored in double figures for Brooklyn… Charlotte hit 10-of-27 attempts from three-point range (37.0 percent) while the Nets drained just 5-of-22 (22.7 percent)… Brooklyn edged out the Hornets on the boards, 42-41 and also outscored Charlotte in the paint, 52-32… Both teams dished out exactly 23 assists.
Hornets Player of the Game
Kemba Walker continued his run of stellar play, finishing with a game-high 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting, two rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Charlotte win. During this current five-game winning streak, Walker is averaging 26.2 points on 47.9 percent shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.0 steals for the Hornets.
Nets Player of the Game
Brook Lopez did a little of everything for the Nets as he tallied 16 points, a team-high 10 rebounds and a team- and season-high six assists in the loss. This is Lopez’s 23rd double-double of the season, which is one behind Thaddeus Young for most on the team.
Game Notes
Spencer Hawes missed his second-straight game for the Hornets (back)… Nicolas Batum was whistled for a technical foul in the second quarter… This is the fourth five-game winning streak for the Hornets since Steve Clifford took over as head coach at the start of the 2013-14 NBA season… Charlotte has also won a season-high four-consecutive road games.
Next Up
The Hornets will take on the Cavaliers at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24 in Cleveland. This game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.