Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview

The Carolina Panthers will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 on Sunday. Panthers lost to the Atlanta Falcons 33-16 while Tampa Bay lost to the New Orleans Saints 31-24. The last time these two teams played the Bucs won 17-14 earlier in the season in Charlotte. The Panthers (6-9) will not be in the playoffs this year but Tampa Bay (8-7) still has a slim chance of making the playoffs with a win Sunday and Packers loss, Redskins tie and Dallas, Colts, Titians, and 49ers win’s. It will be interesting to see how the Panthers play Sunday, will they go out and play hard and try or just play like they don’t care since they won’t be making the playoffs this year. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton keeps struggling last week only completing 18 of 43 for 198 yards with 2 interceptions and 1 touchdowns against the Falcons, Tampa’s quarterback Jameis Winston was 23 of 35 for 277 yards 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions against the Saints but has thrown 5 interceptions over the past two weeks. Doug Martin will be start his 4-game suspension, so Jacquizz Rodgers will get the start, he rushed for 100 yards against the Panthers earlier in the seasons. The Panthers rushed defense is ranked 4^th in the NFL and Tampa’s rushing offense is ranked 22^nd in the NFL so Panthers shouldn’t have to worry about the run, it’s the pass they should be worry about. Since the Panthers keeps giving up big numbers through the air every game so far, this year. Tampa Bay will be without tightend Cameron Brate who was placed on IR with a back injury, Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly will be out due to concussion, Charles Johnson (foot) will be out and Tre Boston will be out as well with a knee injury.

Charlotte Hornets gets the victory over Miami Heat, 91-82

Charlotte Hornets got their 5^th win in 6 games, after beating the Miami Heat 91 to 82. Miami’s 10-22 record after 32 games is worst for the franchise since the 2007-2008 season, Heat used its 12^th different starting lineup Thursday night to try to find a winning starting five. Marco Belinelli missed his third straight game due to a sprained ankle, while Heat point guard Goran Dragic played, although was questionable with lower back spasms, he missed Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Miami outscored Charlotte 13-6 in final 4 minutes in the second quarter and Josh Richardson scored 13 points in the second quarter to give the Heat a 49 to 42 lead at halftime. Charlotte started the third quarter on an 8-0 run and shot 57% in the third quarter, would outscored the Heat 31 to 17 in the third quarter. Another big stat was the fact that the Hornets held the Heat to 16 points in the fourth quarter, to get the victory.

            Hornets MVP for this game would be Kemba Walker with 22 points 7 rebounds, who also recorded his 7,000 point with Charlotte franchise when he hit a three-pointer in the first quarter, he the fourth player in franchise history to reach that mark. Other Hornets leading scorers was 16 points 13 rebounds 8 assists, Marvin Williams with 13 points and one massive dunk over Hassan Whiteside in the third quarter and Jeremy Lamb with 10 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. Charlotte shot awful in tonight but the one key factor that allowed them to win this game was their defense and not turning the ball over. Forced 17 Miami turnovers that led to 21 points for Charlotte, while the Hornets only turned the ball over 8 times, the last turnover was at the end of the game when they were running the clock down and had a shot clock violation. Also Frank Kaminsky scored only 4 points on 1 of 11 shooting(9.1%), Hornets need to find a way to get him going again, maybe even a trip to the D-league to play for the Greensboro Swarm for a few games to get his convinced back and allow Christian Wood to prove himself in Frank's absents. Wood have been tearing it up in the D-League and he surely can't be as bad as Frank's is right now. Miami leading scorers was Josh Richardson with 20 points, Tyler Johnson 18 points 7 rebounds 5 assists and Hassan Whiteside 8 points 10 rebounds and only 2 blocks. With a man his length and wingspan, Whiteside should grab every defensive rebound and should block every shot that gets put in the line. But he doesn’t; he doesn’t even look like he wants to be out there, the last the one to run down the court on offense and doesn’t even try to get though screens or block outs. Charlotte Hornets (19-14) host Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday for a New Year’s Eve game.

Charlotte Hornets blew out the Orlando Magic, 120-101

Charlotte Hornets blew-out the Orlando Magic 120 to 101 Wednesday night. Hornets won its fourth game in five games while the Magic snapped a two-game winning streak after beating the Lakers and Grizzlies. The Hornets have beaten Orlando five straight times and won 7 of last 8 meetings. There was little defense in the first half from both teams, but Charlotte had a seven-point lead in at halftime. The Hornets got hot fast to start the second half, in a six-minute stretch in the middle of the third quarter where Charlotte outscored the Magic 28 to 2. Most of the shots during that six-minute stretch came in open floor, following Magic turnovers or long rebounds, Orlando shot 1 for 11 and committed four turnovers during that stretch, falling behind 92 to 61. Charlotte would outscore the Magic by 22 points in the entire third quarter. Magic leading scorer Evan Fournier missed his third straight game due to a bruise heel, while Hornets Marco Belinelli was out with an ankle sprain. Cody Zeller would cut his ring finger on his right hand right before halftime but would come back and play the second half.

            Hornets MVP for this game would be Nicolas Batum with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists under 30 minutes. Who been playing excellent basketball for the past month and hopefully he keeps playing this well because it takes a bug loud off Kemba back his isn’t rely on to score all the time. Other leading scorers for the Hornets was Kemba Walker with 21 points 5 assists and Jeremy Lamb with 14 points off the bench. Hornets shot 55% from the field for the entire game and only missed one free-throw as well. Orlando Magic top scorers was Nikola Vucevic with 21 points, Serge Ibaka who scored all his 20 points in the first half and Jodie Meeks with 11 points. Charlotte Hornets (18-14) play Thursday night against the Miami Heat, the last time these teams faced-off the Hornets beat them 97-91 in the second game of the season.

Charlotte Hornets lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 120-118

Charlotte Hornets lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 120 to 118 on Randy Foye three-pointer at the buzzer to win it. Brooklyn overcame a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to snapped a 5-game losing streak, while the Hornets snapped their 3-game winning streak. Jeremy Lin left the game in the third quarter and would not return due to a left hamstring strained, the same injury that forced him to miss 17 games earlier in the season. While Marco Belinelli missed his first game of the season after spraining his left ankle Friday against the Chicago Bulls. The Hornets only had 11 turnovers, who is 2^nd in the NBA with the fewest turnovers a game with 11.9. Sean Kilpatrick made a tiebreaking 3 with 1:36 left in the fourth quarter, Bojan Bogdanovic added another three 30 seconds left to make it 117-113; Nic Batum nailed a three-pointer, Bojan missed, Kemba Walker drove in but got his shot blocked but Cody Zeller followed it up to give Charlotte a one-point lead. After a Nets timeout, Brooklyn inbounded the ball to the sideline, Faye caught it and shot it and won it for Brooklyn.

            The MVP for the Hornets would be Jeremy Lamb with 17 points, who played well in the absents of Marco Belinelli and I wished he would play like this daily, that would give the Hornets more depth off the bench, which the Hornets desperately need this year. Hornets leading scorers are Nicholas Batum with 24 points 5 rebounds 5 assists, Cody Zeller with 15 points 9 rebounds and Kemba Walker with 15 points 6 assists. Which the Hornets started their pushed to get Kemba into this year All-Star game. Nets leading scorers were Bojan Bogdanovic with 26 points, Sean Kilpatrick with 23 points, Brooke Lopez who scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and Jeremy Lamb with 17 points. Charlotte Hornets (17-14) play again Wednesday at Orlando, Hornets won the last four meetings, including a 109 to 88 won earlier this month.

Recap of Carolina Panthers lost to Atlanta Falcons, 33-16

The Carolina Panthers lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 33 to 16 on Christmas eve. After winning three straight NFC South titles, the Falcons have taking the title away from the Panthers with a win against the Panthers and a Tampa Bay loss to the Saints. On first drive of the game the Falcons went 75-yards on 8 plays for a touchdown, with Matt Ryan throwing it to Joshua Perkins for a 26-yard touchdown. After Brian Poole picked off Cam Newton, Atlanta kicked a 51-yard field goal, to take 10-0 lead with 6 minutes to play in the first quarter. After Gano field goal, Ryan found D.J. Tialavea for 1-yard touchdown pass and take 20-3 lead with 5 minutes in the second quarter. Rookie Vernon Butler blocked an Atlanta field goal attempt to end the first half, that’s his second blocked field goal attempt this year. Cam found Kelvin Benjamin for a 26-yard touchdown on final play of the third quarter cutting the lead to 23-13. But after converting a 3^rd-and-21, Falcons running back Tevin Coleman ran for a 55-yard touchdown to make 30 to 13 and steal the victory for the Falcons. Tre Boston tackling on Coleman’s touchdown was terrible and looked like he playing 2-hand tag.

            After having a great game last week against the Redskins, Cam Newton had an awful game, only completed 18 of 43 passes for 198 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions with a 44.5 passer rating ranks as his 3rd worst for his career. While Matt Ryan had a great day, 27 of 33 for 277 yards and 2 touchdowns. There was some bright spot for the Panthers this game, Mario Addison come to play today recording 2 tackles for loss in the first quarter and a sack in the third quarter to put his total for the seasons 8.5. Shaq Thomson also played great, had 11 tackles for the game, second behind Thomas Davis who had 12 tackles for the Panthers. In the third quarter, Greg Olsen caught a 17-yard pass to make him the first tight end in NFL history to have 3 consecutive 1,000 yards receiving seasons. Graham Gano played with broken bone in his plant foot but he did make 3 field goals. Carolina Panthers (6-9) play Sunday at Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their last game of the seasons for the Panthers.

Charlotte Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls, 103 to 91

Charlotte Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls, 103 to 91 Friday night. Giving the Hornets their third straight victory, while the Bulls have lost five of last six to fall below .500 for the year. Also with a win tonight Charlotte heads into Christmas first place in their division. At halftime, the Hornets lead 48 to 40, the Bulls would go on a 9 to 0 run to start the third quarter to take a one point lead but the Hornets quickly took the lead back and never looked. Chicago night ended in frustration when both Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez got ejected with 38 seconds left in the game. Robin Lopez instantaneously elbowed Cody Zeller and Marvin Williams in the face with both elbows, picking up a flagrant 2 foul, Gibson argued the call and was also ejected, Gibson picked up his first tech earlier in the fourth quarter. Marco Belinelli left the game in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return, but there was reports of him leaving the stadium without any ice or wearing a boot on his foot, which means if that report is true the sprained isn’t major and should come back very soon. Which the Hornets need since he there only constant scorer off the bench for them.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game would be Nicolas Batum with 20 points 11 rebounds and 10 assist, his seventh career triple-double, first of the season. Nic Batum has been playing excellent over past few weeks, especially the past two games, hitting the game winner and then getting a triple-double the very next game, it’s been a pretty good month for Nic. Other top scoring leaders for the Hornets are Kemba Walker with 20 points, Cody Zeller with 13 points 7 rebounds and Michael-Kidd Gilchrist with 12 points 9 rebounds. Roy Hibbert (4) and Michael-Kidd Gilchrist (4) lead the Hornets to a season-high 13 block shots, the Hornets had more blocked shots then turnovers (10) this game. Bulls leading scorers are Jimmy Butler with 26 points, Doug McDermott with 15 points, Dwyane Wade with 12 points while playing with a migraine most of the game, Rajon Rondo with 7 points 9 rebounds 10 assists. Charlotte Hornets (17-13) will travel to Brooklyn Monday to face off against the Nets.

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers Preview

Atlanta Falcons (9-5) will come to Bank of America Stadium Saturday to face off against the Carolina Panthers (6-8). With a win or Tampa Bay loss to the New Orleans Saints later that day, the Falcons will be NFC Champions and their first playoff berth since 2012. On the other hand, the Panthers need to win out and get some major help from several teams to get the second Wild Card spot in the NFC. The Panthers are two-point favorites, Atlanta are 9-4 against the spread in last 13 games while the Panthers are 4-6 against the spread in last 12 games. The last time the Falcons went to Bank of America Stadium, they got shut out 38 to 0; while the Falcons won the last two times these teams have faced off. Including earlier this year when the Falcons beat the Panthers 48 to 33 behind Matt Ryan team recorded 503-yards passing and 4 touchdowns.

            Key Matchup in this game is Julio Jones against our young secondary, since last game he went off for a career-high 300 receiving yards against them. Julio Jones is coming back after missing two games with turf toe. Our secondary has gotten better over the past few games but this will be there biggest test yet, trying to slow down the Julio Jones, Matt Ryan combo. The three key players for the Panthers are defensive tackle Kawann Sort who has recorded 5 sacks over a 3-game span against the Falcons, he will be also getting reps at defensive end again this week since the Panthers are low on defensive ends. Panthers will be getting defensive end Charles Johnson back after missing a few games with a hamstring injury, but doesn’t sound like linebacker Luke Kuechly will play even through will was clear to play last week after passing concussion protocol. Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart are the other two key-players to played well last week against the Redskins, Cam threw for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns while Stewart rushed for 132 yards. Make sure to watch the Panthers face off against the Falcons Saturday at 1:00pm!

 

Charlotte Hornets beat the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night, 117 to 113

Charlotte Hornets rallied from 19 down to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 117-113 Tuesday night. This was probably the most entertaining Hornets game I’ve watched this year, there so many emotions and the high and lows I went through this game, it was just a fun game to watch. Hornets got their second straight victory, while the Lakers lose their 10^th time in their lost 11 games. Los Angeles made 12 three-pointers on 18 attempts in the first half, Clarkson started the game 5 for 5 from the three-point line in the first half, sending them to a season high in points in a half to take a 73-59 lead at halftime. The Hornets would go on a 15-point run in the third quarter, to close the gap within two, but the Lakers would grow the lead back up double digits. The Hornets would rally back in the fourth quarter led by Marco Belienelli 11 points in the quarter and with 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter Kemba Walker grabbed his missed shot and passed it out to Nic Batum who drove in and made a fade away bankshot with 13 seconds left to give the Hornets the lead and would eventually be the game winning shot.

            My MVP for the Hornets this game would be Kemba Walker who scored 28 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds. He helped the Hornets get back into it by scoring 15 points in the third quarter and not seating out any of the second half. That’s the reason he our captain and why he should be an All-Star this year. Other scoring leaders for the Hornets are Nicolas Batum with 23 points 10 assists 5 rebounds, Cody Zeller with 11 points 5 rebounds. Six Hornets scored in double-digits, while Charlotte shot 46% from the field and 44% from the three-point line. One big stats from Tuesday night game was the Hornets 16 offensive rebounds, who helped get the Hornets rally back and would help the Hornets eventually win the game. The Hornets need to work on the defense the few days through, gave up too many wide-out shots, going under screens and getting beat by their man. Lakers top scores was Jordan Clarkson with 25 points shooting 7 from 9 from the three-point line, Nick Young with 24 points and D’Angelo Russell with 15 points. Charlotte Hornets (16-13) host the Chicago Bulls Friday night.

Carolina Panthers beat the Washington Redskins, 26-15 on Monday Night Football

Carolina Panthers beat the Washington Redskins, 26 to 15 Monday night on ESPN. Cam Newton is 4-0 against the Washington Redskins and is 20-5 in December/January past six seasons, the only other quarterbacks who have better records are Peyton Manning (12-2) and Russell Wilson (18-4). Redskins playoffs hopes dwindled to 25 percent after the game, before the game it was up to 53 percent. Panthers come ready to play Monday night, Panthers was up 13-9 at halftime; gaining 235 of total yards and forcing one turnover thanks to Kurt Coleman interception, that’s his 11^th since the start of 2015 mots of any NFC safety. The first play of the third quarter Wes Horton striped and recover Kirk Cousins fumble, two plays later Tolbert caught a 1-yard play-action pass for a touchdown.

            In the second quarter, on a third down play Cam Newton scramble then sled and appeared to be hit in the head by Redskins LB Trent Murphy. An official was right over the hit and threw a flag and everyone, including me assumed that it would be an illegal hit. But they called it an unsportsmanlike conduct on Cam Newton for tossing the ball at Murphy after the play, former NFL referee Greg Austin said “That was a sliding quarterback and you have helmet to helmet contact, you should have had a call there.” This constant no calls on helmet to helmet hits on Cam Newton is nonsense. The NFL has said it will protecting its players is their chief concern, but when you see Cam hit in the head constantly, not just this year but his entire career. Especially since the referee was right there and saw it happen, I understanding the unsportsmanlike conduct on Cam Newton you’re not supposed to throw a football at an opposing player when the play is dead, but it should be offsetting. I guess you can count this one up with the other no calls Cam Newton hasn’t gotten the past two years.

            Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart both had great games, Newton was 21-37 for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns while Jonathan Stewart rushed for 132 yards, the first time this seasons he rushed for over 100 yards, leading the Panthers offense to 438 total yards. Panthers defense also showed up forcing 3 turnovers and only giving up 29 rushing yards and not allowing Kirk Cousins to throw a touchdown pass. Carolina Panthers (6-8) will host the Atlanta Falcons (9-5) Saturday.

Charlotte Hornets snapped four game losing streak, beating the Atlanta Hawks 107 to 99

Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks 107 to 99 Saturday night, ending their five-game road trip, and snapping a four-game losing streak. The Hawks has lost five of their six at home and are 0 of 2 against the Hornets this year. Charlotte only shot 4 for 16 from the first quarter, but went on a 30 to 10 in the second quarter to have a 11-point lead at halftime, 53 to 42. Atlanta would go on 13 to 1 run to cut the lead to four, then Tim Hardaway Jr. would hit a pair of free-throws to put the Hawks up by one. Then Cody Zeller and Dwight Howard got in a little scrape when Howard kicked Zeller in the face, both players got a technical foul and when that happened Atlanta lost all their momentum. That the second time in two game where those two players have gotten into a scrape. Atlanta went on a little run in the fourth quarter but Marvin Williams three with 27 seconds left in the game sealed the victory for Charlotte.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game would be Cody Zeller who scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Every game he has played this season this year Cody has looked great and the deal we gave him in the begging of the year looks better each game. He has developed a good looking mid-range jumper to keep his defender honest, has gotten stronger so he has finish strong at the rim and to be honest having Nicolas Batum on the team helps him score him. Other leading scorers for the Hornets are Marco Belinelli with 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting and 3 of 4 from the three-point line, Marvin Williams with 19 points 6 rebounds and Kemba Walker with 18 points 10 assists. His third double-double of the season and he has scored in double figures in every game he has played this season. Atlanta Hawks leading scorers are Tim Hardaway Jr. with 21 points, Paul Millsap with 20 points, he scored 14 of his 20 in the third quarter and Dwight Howard with 10 points and 23 rebounds which is a season best in rebounds and only three shy of a career best. Charlotte Hornets (15-13) host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

Charlotte Hornets lost to Boston Celtics, 96 to 88

An Kemba-less Charlotte Hornets lost to the Boston Celtics Friday night, 96 to 88. Extended Charlotte’s losing streak to four games, while Boston snapped a three-game losing streak. Kemba Walker did not play in Friday’s game due to personal reasons but is expected to be back with the team Saturday while Isaiah Thomas came back after missing four games due to a strained right groin. For most the first half, it was a back and fourth game until Charlotte closed out on a 14 to 4 run to lead at halftime, 50 to 41. At one point in the third quarter Charlotte led 60 to 48, but Boston would surge back and at the end of the third quarter it would be all tied up 69 all. Boston would outscore Charlotte 55 to 38 in the second half and hold the Hornets to 13 field goals in the second half.

            The MVP for this game for the Hornets would be Nicolas Batum with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assist and was also 8 for 8 at the free-throw line. He played excellent, taking Kemba Walker spot as Hornets top scorer. Other top scorers for the Hornets are Marvin Williams with 12 points 6 rebounds, Ramon Sessions with 13 points 6 rebounds 6 assists, Marco Belinelli with 11 points. Roy Hibbert did not play in Friday game, Spencer Hawes took his spot in the lineup. Frank Kaminsky is still in a slump, only shooting 3 for 10 for 7 points. He needs to start stepping up and either drive to the basket and getting foul and shot free-throws or post up cause personally I think he has some decent posts moves but he rather just stand on the three-point line and shoot three’s which is terrible for a shooter when he’s in a slump like he is right now. Top scorers for the Celtics are Isaiah Thomas with 26 points 5 assists, Al Horford with 18 points 8 rebounds 5 assists and Avery Bradley with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Charlotte Hornets (14-13) play Saturday night at Atlanta Hawks, there last game on this 5-game road trip.

Prevewing Panther's Monday night game against the Washington Redskins

The Carolina Panthers will travel to take on the Washington Redskins on Monday night. The Panthers are 4-point underdogs, with 7 of Panther’s 13 games being decided by 3 points or less. The Redskins are 7-5, third in the NFC East and are half-game behind Tampa Bay for the final Wild Card spot. Last week Panthers beat the San Diego Chargers 28 to 16 to get back on the winning side, while the Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27 to 22. One of the biggest keys of this game is Panthers pass defense against the Redskins passing offense. The Panthers have the third worst pass defense in the NFL allowing 272.4 yards per game, while the Redskins have the second best total offense (412.1) and passing yards (302.8) per game. If the Panthers want to win this game, there secondary needs to show-up, especially rookies cornerbacks James Bradberry and Daryl Worley.  

            One of the biggest storylines of this game is cornerback Josh Norman playing against his former team who he played his first four seasons with. The Carolina Panthers drafted Josh Norman in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and was a decent cornerback his first three seasons in Carolina. But his fourth season he went off, grabbing four interceptions, and returning two of those for touchdowns. He was one of the main reasons why the Panthers started the season 13-0 and went to the Super Bowl, giving the Panthers a lock-down corner and put even more pressure on opposing quarterbacks with that stout defensive-line. But when the offseason came around Norman become a free agent and the Panthers decided to put a franchise tag on him. But in April the Panthers rescinded the franchise tag offer to Norman. Which made Norman a free agent and would eventually sign with the Washington Reskins on a five-year, 75 million dollar deal, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.

            Key players for this game for the Panthers is quarterback Cam Newton, who was limited in practiced this week due to a shoulder injury but is expected to play Monday. Cam Newton is having a career-low only completing 53.5% of his passes with 15 Touchdowns and 9 interceptions. The Panthers need him to get back to his MVP ways again to win this game and have a chance to make the playoffs. The other player for the Panthers is linebacker Luke Kuechly who missed past three games because of concussion but has been fully participation in practice. Panthers need their star linebacker to help their very weak secondary. The two key Redskins players are quarterback Kirk Cousin and wide receiver Desean Jackson, will be interesting to see how the two will exploit the Panthers weak secondary and how the Panthers will try to contain both. Carolina Panthers (5-8) play against the Washington Redskins (7-5-1) Monday night on ESPN.

Washington Wizards beat the Charlotte Hornets, 109 to 106

Charlotte Hornets started their five-game road trip with three loses. at Cleveland Saturday, at Indiana Monday and then Wednesday at Washington. The Charlotte Hornets lost to the Washington Wizards 109 to 106. Charlotte started the game red-hot making 10 of 14 shots, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist started 5 for 5 from the field as well. At halftime Hornets led the Wizards 54 to 49 behind Nicolas Batum 14 points and 7 assists. In the third quarter Washington was trailing by 10 but went on a 23 to 5 run that was capped off when John Wall stripped Marco Belinelli and passed it to Otto Porter for a fast break. Bradley Beal started the game 0 for 6 but in the third quarter him and John Wall scored Wizards 19 of 45 points in the quarter, the highest scoring period of the season for the Wizards. The Wizards lead the entirely fourth quarter but Charlotte did go on a little run at the very end to cut the lead to 3 with 10 seconds’ lefts. Nicolas Batum forced a long 3 and missed, Kemba grabbed the rebound and the potential game tying 3 rimmed out to end the game. The Hornets weren’t aggressive in the second-half, allowing the Wizards to grab 12 offensives rebound and have 15 steals.

            The MVP for the Hornets would be Nicolas Batum with 20 points and 8 assists on his 28^th birthday. Who was aggressive the first half, scoring or assisted on 9 of the team’s 12 made field goals in the first quarter. Hornets leading scorers was Cody Zeller with 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the field, Kemba Walker with 17 points 6 rebounds and 9 assists, Marco Belinelli with 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the field and 4 for 6 shooting from three pointers. Wizards leading scorers were John Wall with 25 points and 10 assists and 20 points career-high 9 assists and 7 steals and Marcin Gortat with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Charlotte Hornets (14-12) play Saturday at Boston Celtics.

Charlotte Hornets lose to the Indiana Pacers, 110 to 94

Charlotte Hornets went against the Indiana Pacers Monday night and lost 110 to 94. The Hornets shot 33% from the field but did shoot 87.5% from the free throw line to help keep the Hornets in the game, while the Pacers shot 48.9% and making 17 threes in the game and had 11 blocks. Jeff Teague scored or assists on 19 of Pacers final 23 points. Paul George picked up where he left off Saturday where he scored 37 points in a win over Portland, he started the scoring off for the Pacers with a 3 pointer and a nasty turnaround jumper. But was mostly quiet until the fourth quarter when he scored three straight times. Charlotte shot 30.8% from the field in the first half and 8 turnovers, but did closed the first half on an 8-1 run to trail 45 to 43 at halftime. C.J. Miles made a go ahead three pointer with 5.6 seconds in the third quarter to start an 11 to 1 run by the Pacers. Charlotte went on a little run in the fourth quarter when Frank Kaminsky hit a three-pointer and a Jeremy Lamb fast break layup to cut the Pacers lead to five, but Miles Turner three pointer with 1:12 to steal the victory for the Pacers.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game would be Marvin Williams with 13 points, Marvin has been playing well all year long. Others scoring leaders for the Hornets was Marco Belinelli with 14 points, Nicolas Batum with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Kemba Walker with a season-low 12 points and 5 assist. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was 1 for 9 for 6 points, who did not play in the fourth quarter because he been struggling on offense. Also, looks like Frank Kaminsky confidence is low and is really struggling on offense, the entire second team is really struggling other than Belinelli so Frank need to start stepping up because we need his scoring off the bench. Pacers leading scorers was Paul George and Myles Turner both had 22 points, Jeff Teague with 16 points and 11 assists, Rodney Stuckey scored 14 points before the leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a left knee contusion. Charlotte Hornets (14-11) play again Wednesday at Washington Wizards.  

Panthers defense forced 5 turnovers, beat the San Diego Chargers 28 to 16

Carolina Panthers beat the San Diego Chargers, 28 to 16. The Panthers scored 23 points in the first half and without star linebacker Luke Kuechly and defensive end Charles Johnson the Panthers defense forced 5 turnovers by Philip Rivers to get the victory and keep their slim playoff chances alive. The Panthers also snapped a two-game losing streak and their first win against an AFC West team this season. Former NC State star quarterback Philip Rivers came back to the state of North Carolina and did not have a great day who was 21-39 for 236 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, he fumbled twice on sacks.

Melvin Gordon got carted off in the first quarter when he attempted to recover a Philip Rivers fumble, with Gordon leg being bent backwards in an awkward angle; he was among league leaders with 12 touchdowns on the seasons and was third in the league in yards from scrimmage. The injury occurred with 997 rushing yards in the seasons for Gordon. While The number 3 pick in last year draft and favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year Joey Bosa got injured when he was attempting to sack quarterback Cam Newton, he was initially evaluated for a concussion before it was announced that he was out for the rest of the game with a neck injury. Panthers kicker Graham Gano was 4 for 4 on field goals but got injured his foot on his last field goal.

Panthers outrushed the Chargers 126 to 58, with Johnathan Stewart 24 attempts for 66 yards and 1 touchdown. Which helped Cam Newton who didn’t have a good day throwing the ball, 10-27 for 160 yards 1 touchdown and 1 interception. After injuring his mouth in the first quarter, Devin Funchess came back in the second quarter and on third-and-goal, Funchess gained some separation against cornerback Trevor Williams in the slot, and Newton found him for a 6-yard touchdown. The Panthers defense set the tone early with 5 forced turnovers, 5 sacks and would finished the game on a Mario Addison sacked on Philip Rivers in the end zone for a safety to secure the win. The Carolina Panthers (5-8) play again next Monday to take on the Washington Redskins

Behind LeBron's 44 points, Cavs cruise past Hornets, 116 to 105

The Charlotte Hornets started their five consecutive road games Saturday in Cleveland in which they got blown out by the Cavaliers 116 to 105. Giving Cleveland there fourth straight victory and the sixth straight time the Cavs have beaten the Hornets at home. LeBron James recorded his 7,000 assist in the first half, becoming the first frontcourt player in NBA history to do so. The Cavs took control of the game early on, shooting 71% in the first quarter and building a 12-point lead. They would keep shooting around 70% for most of the first half and had a 15-point lead at half, 67 to 52. The Hornets would cut the lead down to three in the third quarter but LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers quickly pushed the lead back up to double digits. And in the fourth quarter Lebron James scored 13 straight and total 17 in the quarter to lead the Cavaliers past the Hornets. Kemba Walker would get injured late in the game when he banged knees with James. But after the game he told reporters that he’s fine and should play in the next game. Also J.R. Smith first game back after missing two games due to a hyperextended knee who scored six points in 32 minutes of action.

            MVP for this game for the Hornets would be Marco Belinelli with 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting and 3 of 4 from the three-point line in 28 minute of action. He been reliable all year long off the bench, even stealing minutes in the fourth quarter from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who can struggle on offense sometimes. Ever since Hornets traded for him during the offseason I’ve completely agreed with the trade and he’s hasn’t proved me wrong yet. Other leading scorers for the Hornets are, Kemba Walker with 24 points and 5 assist, Cody Zeller with 17 points and 9 rebounds, Nicolas Batum with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Nicolas Batum is one of five NBA players averaging at least 13 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists, other players on that list includes LeBron James, Russel Westbrook, and James Harden. He is also leading the Eastern Conference in fewest turnovers per game with 2.3. Cleveland leading scorers was LeBron James with a season high 44 points on 17 of 24 shooting and 5 of 10 from the three-point line, 9 rebounds and 10 assists, Kevin Love with 22 points and Tristan Thompson with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Charlotte Hornets (14-10) plays again Monday on the road against the Indiana Pacers.

Charlotte Hornets blow-out the Orlando Magic, 109 to 88

The Charlotte Hornets blew-out the Orlando Magic 109-88 Thursday night in Charlotte, giving the southeast division leading Hornets their third straight victory and handing the Magic there second straight lost after having a three-game winning streak. Also, the fourth straight victory against the Orlando Magic for Charlotte. The Hornets out-rebounded a very good rebounding Magic team, 59-40. The Magic only shot 37% from the field and 26% from the three-point line. While Charlotte 48% from the field and 40% from three-point line. After a late second quarter surge that started by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting, the Hornets lead 52 to 46 at halftime. Charlotte would push their lead to 21 in the third quarter and never looked back, also allowing the starters to rest the entire fourth quarter.

            MVP for the Hornets this game would be Nicolas Batum with 16 points, 4 for 4 from the three point-line and 9 rebounds, 7 assist. Who has been playing excellent lately and hopefully keeps playing well in upcoming harder games. Other leading scorers for the Hornets are, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 16 points and 7 rebounds, Kemba Walker with 15 points 5 assist and Ramon Sessions and Jeremy Lamb had 12 points each. Magic’s leading scores were Evan Fournier with 14 points, Serge Ibaka with 12 points and 7 rebounds and Bismack Biyombo with 9 points. Charlotte plays again tomorrow against the Cleveland Cavs, who they played earlier in the year and lost in hard fought battle, 100 to 93.

San Diego Chargers at Carolina Panthers Preview

            The Carolina Panthers (4-8) will play San Diego Chargers (5-7) Sunday afternoon. Both teams have a losing record and are in last place in their divisions. The Panthers will try to overcome a two-game losing streak and an embarrassing national televise lost to the Seattle Seahawks 41 to 7. While San Diego has lost two out of their last three games. The Carolina Panthers are 0 and 3 against AFC West teams this year, while the Chargers are 1 and 2 against NFC South teams this year.

Star linebacker Luke Kuechly, safety Kurt Coleman and rookie cornerback Daryl Worley are still under concussion protocol and are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. Both starting Defensive ends for the Panthers are injured, Mario Addison is listed as questionable with a foot injury while Charles Johnson could be week-to-week due to a hamstring injury. Because of this Ron Rivera has said that Kawann Short might have to take snaps at defensive end Sunday. San Diego cornerback Bradon Flowers is in the concussion protocol and did not practice Thursday.

San Diego starting quarterback Philip Rivers is coming back to North Carolina where he was the star quarterback at NC State in college. It’s been a rocky year for him so far throwing 14 interceptions which is second most in the NFL. It’s also a homecoming for San Diego head coach Mike McCoy who spent nine seasons as a receiver’s coach, quarterback coach and a passing game coordinator. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera was Chargers linebacker coach in 2007 and then became the defensive coordinator the next year during his four seasons in San Diego. The last time these two teams played against each other the Panthers won 31 to 7 in San Diego in 2012, the Panthers won the four of five all time meetings against the Chargers. Make sure to watch the game this Sunday at 1 o’clock at Bank America Stadium.

Charlotte Hornets beat the Detriot Pistons 87 to 77

The Charlotte Hornets (13-9) took down the Detroit Pistons (12-12) 87 to 77, with help of Kemba Walker big fourth quarter Wednesday night. Getting back to a winning record at home at 7-6. Marvin Williams was back in the starting lineup after missing 6 games due to a knee injury. Both teams didn’t shoot well at all, Detroit shot 38% while Charlotte only shot 34% from the field. The biggest the reason Charlotte won was there defense, they forced 12 turnovers, switched off their man easily and blocked out when shots went up. And Kemba scored his 14 of 25 in the fourth quarter. The Hornets outscored the Pistons 49 to 38 in the second half, after trailing by one at the half.

 

The MVP for Hornets would be Marvin Williams with 12 points and 5 rebounds. More importantly brought physicality on defense the Hornets was lacking when he was out. Other leading scorers for Charlotte was Kemba Walker with 25 points, who has scored in double digits in all 22 games this season. Nicolas Batum with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Detroit Pistons leading scores was Andre Drummond with 26 points and 20 points, his 11^th 20-20 game since 2012-2013 most in the NBA. Tobias Harris with 14 points and Reggie Jackson with 10 points. The Charlotte Hornets play again at home this Friday against the Orlando Magic.

 

 

 

Charlotte Hornets beat Dallas Mavericks, 109 to 101

            The Charlotte Hornets (12-9) sweep the regular series against the Dallas Mavericks (4-16) tonight in a 109-101 win in Dallas. Mavericks was missing Seth Curry (knee) and Dirk Nowitzki (achilleas) and with 45 seconds left in the first quarter Andrew Bogut injured his knee would not come back. While the Hornets only injured player was Marvin Williams (knee). It was a hard, fought out win for the Hornets. Slow start for both teams, Dallas started the game 3 for 11 from the field. But the tempo would pick up and by halftime the Dallas Mavericks would lead 50 to 48. Dallas went on an 8-0 run to start the second half and increase their lead to 11, the Hornets would cut the lead back down to three to end the third quarter. The Hornets would take the lead mid-way through the fourth quarter and with a Cody Zeller block that followed a Jeremy Lamb three-point dagger that helped get the win for the Hornets

The three ball on offense and defense killed the Hornets for most the game, Charlotte wouldn’t hit their first three pointers until 49 seconds left in the third quarter and only shot 16% while the Dallas Mavericks shot 36% from the three-point line. The biggest the reason the Hornets stayed in the game when the Mavericks took an 11-point lead was there free throw shooting, past few games the Hornets have been awful from the free-throw line but today they shot 93%. It was nice seeing the Hornets shoot lights outs from the free-throw line, that’s was one of the strongest suits for the Hornets last seasons and for the early part of this season so hopefully this means the Hornets will go back to their good free throw shooting. I do have to give props to Harrison Barnes who 10 for 21 with 29 points and 7 for 7 at the free throw line, I never thought Barnes was ever going to be good in the NBA, but he has proven me wrong this year shooting 45% from the field and averaging 20 points a game for the Mavericks. He one of the only bright spots for the Mavs so far this season.  

The MVP for tonight for the Hornets would have to be Nicolas Batum with 14 points 15 rebounds and 7 assist. He was aggressive early starting the game with 7 points in the first quarter and would keep that play into second half to help the Hornets outscored the Mavericks 61 to 51 in the second half. My only is that complaint I wished he played like that on a nightly basis, if Clifford could rely on him to be our second leading scorer that would take a lot of stress off Kemba, just like Jeremy Lin did last year. Other leading scorers for the Hornets are Kemba Walker with 19 points 3 rebounds, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 11 points 12 rebounds and Jeremy Lamb with 14 points. Mavericks leading scorers are Harrison Barnes with 29 points, Wesley Matthews with 16 points and Deron Williams with 15 points and 13 assist. The Charlotte Hornets play again Wednesday at home against the Detroit Pistons.

Seattle Seahawks blow out the Carolina Panthers, 40 to 7

On national television, the Carolina Panthers went into Seattle and got blown out by the Seahawks, 40-7. Seattle gained 534 yards of total offense, including 240 rushing, which is terrible due to since the Panthers are supposed to have one of the best rushing defenses in the NFL. While the Panthers only gain 271 yards for the entire game. Seattle never punted the ball until the fourth quarter. Cam Newton did not start the game due to dress-code violation. So, Derek Anderson was the starter for the Panthers and on the first play of the game he was picked off and the Seahawks would eventually kick a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. It was downhill from there for the Panthers. After this game the Panthers will have losing record this season and their chances of making the playoffs are all but gone.

            At halftime Seattle was up 23 to 7, then first play of the second half Tyler Lockett jet-sweep 75-yard touchdown, to put the Seahawks up 30 to 7. By that time, the way our offense was playing and the defense couldn’t get the Seahawks off the field beside one Tre Boston interception which lead to Ted Ginn Jr. 55-yard touchdown. The game was all but over. Other notes of this game, the Panthers have an NFL high 9 players have been under concussion protocol this seasons. The Panthers had four players out injured for this game, then during the game two more players got hurt. Rookie Cornerback Darley Worley and David Mayo are under concussion protocol. Carolina Panthers leaders was Cam Newton 14/32 182 yards 1 touchdown, Jonathan Stewart 11 attempts for 50 yards, Ted Ginn Jr. 5 reception 80 yards and 1 touchdown. Seattle Seahawks leaders was, Russell Wilson 306 total yards of offense 1 touchdown 1 interception, Thomas Rawls 15 attempts for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns. Carolina Panthers (4-8) play next Sunday at home against the San Diego Chargers (5-7).

Charlotte Hornets disapponting loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime 125-120

On Saturday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Charlotte Hornets 125 to 120 in overtime. The Hornets were winning 104-97 with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter. Then with 39 seconds left in the fourth quarter Zach Lavine, Ricky Rubio hit three pointers and then with 8.9 seconds Andrew Wiggins hit a step-back three pointer to tie the ball game up at 106. Kemba had a chance to win it with a step-back 18-footer at the buzzer but he air balled it. The Timberwolves started the overtime on a 7-0 run and would eventually win by five.

Frank Kaminsky scored the Hornets first five points and was 3-3 with 8 points to start off the game with. In a whole the Charlotte Hornets started off the game hot, blocking shots, steals, transition offense, passing the ball well, few turnovers. They were playing good smart basketball in the first quarter, the Hornets scored 29 points in the first quarter and lead 29 to 19. Over the past two games the Hornets have hold opponents to an average 16 points in the first quarter. Minnesota would come back and cut the lead to three at halftime, 52-49. The combo of Wiggins and Towns for Minnesota combined for 56 points and was 22 of 43 from the field. Minnesota also blocked 10 shots tonight while winning the turnover battle 14 to 10. Minnesota has a good young team, if they could make a few trades and to get depth and leadership and keep their stars, the Timberwolves can be good in a few years. The Hornets kept struggling from the free-throw line by shooting only 69% from the free-throw line while the Timberwolves shot 86% from the free-throw line.

The MVP for last night game for me would be Frank Kaminsky with 21 points, 8-16 from the field and 9 rebounds. The main reason is because hopefully this game has helped him get his groove back, past few games he has been awful and with Marvin Williams out at least one more game and even when he comes back we need his scoring. Personally, I think he should use his pump fake more often, he has one of the best pump fakes in the league and seemed like every time he pumped faked he would caught his defender and could take an advantage of it. He used it all the last year and it worked almost every time, he even used once tonight and got his defender up in the air and drove to the rim and got the bucket and-one. Other leading scorers for the Hornets are, Kemba Walker with 22 points 8 assist, Michael-Kidd Gilchrist with 15 points 7-7 from the free-throw line, Nicolas Batum with 15 Points 8 rebounds 12 assist. Timberwolves leading scorers are, Andrew Wiggins with 29 points, Karl-Anthony Towns 27 points 15 rebounds, Ricky Rubio 9 points and 12 assist. The Charlotte Hornets (11-9) will try to get back to their winning ways Monday in Dallas against the Mavericks (4-15).

Charlotte Hornets beat the Dallas Mavericks 97-87

Charlotte Hornets (11-8) got back to their winning ways tonight with an ugly win against the Dallas Mavericks (3-15). This game was a tough game to watch, not a lot of scoring, sloppy and quite a few turnovers from both team’s turnovers. Due to the Mavericks injury’s including Andrew Bogut(rest), Seth Curry(knee) and Devin Harris(toe) the Mavericks played slow for most of the game, and was successful by not letting the Hornets go up-tempo and go out and run for most the game. The Hornets could never really pull away until the very end of the game, when Kemba hit back-to-back three pointers and a Jeremy Lamb and-1 play.

The bench for the Hornets played excellent out-scoring the Mavericks bench 43 to 35 tonight. But in my opinion the biggest reason Charlotte won was of their defense, they held Dallas to just 34.7% shooting the ball and forced 11 turnovers for the entire game. Also, tallied 6 blocks and 5 steals. Charlotte only turned the ball over once in the first quarter, which helped them get out to an early lead and keep that lead throughout the game. All ten players who played in the first half for the Hornets scored, the Hornets do need to work on their free throws, missing 22 free throws in tonight game. Frank Kaminsky has been in a slump lately scoring one point in 22 minutes of playing-time. Wesley Matthews from the Dallas Mavericks also had a bad game only shooting 4-15 with 14 points and 3 rebounds in 39 minutes of play.   

The Charlotte Hornets MVP for tonight game for me would be Roy Hibbert, with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. This was the best game he has played for Charlotte since the first game of the year against the Milwaukee Bucks. They gave him the ball down low on the block and he made great decisions, either going to work and scoring or passing the ball to the right teammate for the easy bucket. Other leading scorer are Kemba Walker with 18 points, 5 assist, Nicolas Batum with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assist, Jeremy Lamb with 12 points, 6 rebounds. Dallas Mavericks top scorers was Harrison Harnes with 17 points, 9 rebounds, Justin Anderson who gave the Mavericks a spark off the bench with 15 points, 3-3 from three-point and 4-4 from the free throw. The Charlotte Hornets (11-8) play again this Saturday at 7p.m. at the Spectrum arena against a good young Minnesota Timberwolves (5-13) team.

Panthers vs Seahawks Preview

Over the past couple of years, the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers has become something of a rivalry. Ever since Cam Newton came into the league in 2011 the Panthers has played the Seahawks six times (including the playoffs). And the five out of six times they have played, the game has come down to a touchdown or less. The Seahawks do lead the series 4-2 during that time span, but the Panthers have beat the Seahawks the last two times they have faced including the playoff game last year that sent the Panthers into the NFC Championship game. They face off again in Seattle this Sunday night on NBC.  

But this is more than a rivalry game for the Panthers, this a due or die game for them. If the Panthers lose this game, there playoffs chances are all but gone. With center Ryan Kalil(shoulder) and his backup Gino Gradkowski(knee) being put on IR yesterday, joining left tackle Michael Oher. That’s hurts the Panthers a lot since their running game has been already bad to begin with without missing their All-Pro center and his backup. It was announced today that Kurt Coleman has been put into the concussion protocol with Luke Kuechly and there both not expected to play Sunday. The Panthers did sign free agent center Ryan Wendell and tackle Dan France from the Brown’s practice squad to take there place. Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett and there center Justin Britt is expected to be back for the Seattle but free safety Earl Thomas is still questionable with a hamstring injury. It will be interesting to see how Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense will handle Panthers young and unexperienced secondary.

If we want to go into Seattle and beat the Seahawks on primetime were going to need superman, Cam Newton himself to play lights-out and our defensive line to come up big and get pressure and contain Russell Wilson. If Luke Kuechly doesn’t play Sunday both Shaq Thomson and AJ Klein need to play well, Klein played well against Oakland expect for a few plays late in the game, mainly where he shouldn’t have been covering a wide receiver down the middle of the field for a gain of 30 yards on a third and nine, which later that drive set up the game winning field goal the Raiders. But I do think it’s going to be the toughest game the Panthers have play yet, with being in Seattle on primetime and the 12^th man in full force. And on top of all that some forecast has shown that it makes rain during the game. Make sure to watch the Carolina Panthers (4-7) face off the Seattle Seahawks (7-3-1) Sunday at 8:30 PM on NBC.

The Pistons dismantle The Hornets 112 to 89

On night two of a back-back for the Charlotte Hornets the Detroit Pistons blew-out the Hornets in Charlotte. The entire game the Hornets looked tried and sloppy and the Pistons took advantage. The Detroit Pistons without Reggie Jackson was hot early, quickly taking an 11-point lead in the first quarter. Tobias Harris started 4-4 from the field and ended with 24 points and 7 rebound. The Hornets would eventually take a 4-point lead mid-way through the second quarter, but when Andre Drummond got ejected by hitting Roy Hibbert in the face with an elbow. The Pistons outscored the Hornets by 25 after Drummond ejection. And would lead at halftime 57-54.

The second half was terrible for the Hornets, being out-scored 55 to 35. The offense was uncoordinated, the ball wasn’t moving around like it has been, forced shots, turnovers. The defense was as bad, the middle of the line was clear most of the half so the Pistons guards would drive down in the middle of the line and either make a layup or if a help defender came they would just kick it out for a wide open three pointers. And then to top it off for the Hornets, Jeremy Lamb who has been playing excellent lately got injured in the third quarter and would come back in the game with a right knee contusion. It’s unclear how major the injury is right now. But it’s just doesn’t seem like the Hornets can get a break from injuries from Hibbert, Lamb, Batum, Marvin Williams and now Lamb again. Just seems hard for the Hornets to keep everyone healthy at one time. It just wasn’t the Hornets night tonight, but four games in five days can make you play sloppy.

My MVP for this game would have to be The Captain, Kemba Walker with 23 points on 9 for 16 shooting and 4 assist and breaking Ish Smith’s ankles in the second quarter. Kemba will always bring his A game no matter what, just the way he plays. The other leading scorers for the Hornets are Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 10 points and 4 rebounds and Marco Belinelli with 11 points. The Hornets have a day off to get some much deserve rest, the Dallas Mavericks (3-13) will be coming to Charlotte this Thursday to play against the Charlotte Hornets (10-8) at 7pm.

The Hornets gets revenge on the Memphis Grizzlies

A week after the Grizzles went into the Spectrum Stadium and dismantle the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets got their revenge when they went into Memphis and easily took out the Grizzles 104 to 85. From the start of the game the Hornets looked aggressive on both ends of the ball, closing out when a shot went up, driving to the basket. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 14 points 6 rebounds to helped the Hornets stay aggressive throughout the first half. The Hornets did start the second quarter slow until the starters came back out and eventually outscored the Grizzles 31-14 in second quarter, and ended the second quarter on a 19-4 run and lead 56-36.

After half time, the Grizzles lead by Mike Conley went a run and cut the led to twelve but when Conley got hurt in the third quarter the Grizzles looked uncoordinated and the Hornets capitalized. Pushing their lead back up to 20 and never looked back. Unfortunately for the Grizzles, Mike Conley would not come back in the game with a lower back injury. The Hornets would be able to rest their starters most of the fourth quarter, which was nice since they will be turning right back around and be playing again tomorrow against the Pistons.

My MVP for the Hornets tonight in my opinion would be Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 14 points, 7 rebounds. Mainly because in the first quarter he showed how the Hornets would play for the rest of the game, relentless and aggressive. Driving down the line, getting rebounds, making a few mid-range jumpers, getting seals, and just playing hard. Leading scorers was Jeremy Lamb with 21 points and 9 rebounds, Kemba Walker also had 21 points and Frank Kaminsky had 12 points and 6 rebounds. The Hornets who are 10-7 and have the tied in the southeast division come back to the Hive tomorrow to play against the Detroit Pistons.

Kalil,Kuechly less Panthers loss at Oakland

Carolina Panthers (4-7) started their west trip earlier today going against the Oakland Raiders (9-2). This game was a tale of two halves for the Panthers, the first half was horrendous on both side of the ball. Cam Newton only completed 3 out of 12 passes for 18 yards and an interception. He did have the Panthers only touchdown of the first half with a 4-yard rushing touchdown. While the Raiders offense went to town on the defense, scoring four times, including three touchdowns. Derek Carr started out 8-8 which was a personal best. Then under a minute left in the half, Khalil Mack picked off Cam Newton and ran it in for the touchdown to make the score 24-7 at the half.

The second half was completely different for the Panthers, on the Raiders first drive Carr fumbled the snap and the Panthers recovered which later lead to a Jonathan Stewart touchdown. With Derek Carr out for one series the Panthers capitalized and forced the Raiders to punt, three plays later Cam connected with Ted Ginn Jr. for an 88- yard touchdown. The very next series for the Raiders Tomas Davis picked up Carr and five plays later Jonathan Stewart scored his second touchdown of the day. The Panthers held the Raiders to a three and out and on their next offensive series for the Panthers, Cam connected to Kelvin Benjamin for a 44-yard touchdown. Which gave the Panthers an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter. The Raiders drove down the field and scored a touchdown and got the two-point conversion to tie the ball game at 32 all. Four plays later the Panthers punted the ball, the Raiders drove down the field and got the ball down to the 5-yard line and Janikowski kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Raiders the lead back under two minutes left in the game. The Panthers did get the ball into Raiders territory but stalled out and Khalil Mack ended the game with a strip sack on fourth and ten.

Initial Thoughts about this game was that the Panthers didn’t give up, they could’ve easily turned over on the pick six at the end of the first half, but they fought back forced some turnovers and took the lead back late in the game. The defense at times looked good but our weak secondary hurt us once again late in the game. The offense line looked good for having three players injured and having our third string center in the fourth quarter. The Panthers are 0-5 on games decided by a field goal or less. This is a tale of two years for the Panthers; last year they found ways to win close games just like today, this year they haven’t. There playoff chances look all but gone after today lost. With next four out five teams having a winning record the Panthers need to find a way to close out in close games fast to have a chance of making it back in playoffs.