Charlotte Hornets lost to the Golden State Warriors, 113-103

The Charlotte Hornets lost to the Golden State Warriors, 113-103 Wednesday night on ESPN. It’s the second straight lost for the Hornets after losing to the Wizards Monday night. Cody Zeller did not play due to a quadriceps contusion, Roy Hibbert took his place in the starting lineup, Kemba Walker was questionable due to an illness. The first half was back and forth affair but the Warriors did take advantage of our weak bench and took a 53-47 lead at halftime. The Hornets would start the third quarter on a 19-4 run, led by Kemba Walker 12 points in the quarter to take the lead and would lead to begin the fourth quarter. But that’s when Kevin Durant and Steph Curry took over the game, Durant scoring 16 points in the quarter and Curry knocking down to clutch three-pointers in the final three minutes to seal the win for the Warriors.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game would be Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 15 points and 9 rebounds, who played great on both sides of the court. Grabbing offensive rebounds to playing great defense to knocking down some mid-range jumpers. MKG has been playing great the past few games for the Hornets and hopefully he can keep it up. The leading scorers for the Hornets were Kemba Walker with 26 points 8 assists, Nicolas Batum with 16 points 6 rebounds 8 assists, Marvin Williams with 14 points 5 rebounds and Spencer Hawes with 10 points 13 rebounds coming off the bench. The Hornets need to find another scorer to help Kemba out, Nic Batum isn’t a reliable second scorer and they also need to trade to give them bench scoring. The only bench player who scores is Marco Belinelli who is more of a shooter then an all-around scorer. Frank Kaminsky has been terrible this year, Roy Hibbert hasn’t been good since he played for the Pacers, even then he was more of a defender then a scorer and Ramon Sessions is just not a good point guard and coach Clifford knows it to, allowing Kemba to play all the first and third quarters, the two quarters where we played our best basketball. We also beat ourselves tonight too, giving up 15 turnovers, some of those turnovers were unforced turnovers. Just like Frank Kaminsky stepping out bounds shooting a three pointer or Spencer Hawes standing under the basket on the out bounds area and someone passing him the ball and him not moving his feet so he won’t catch it out bounds. Leading scorers for the Warriors were Kevin Durant with 33 points 4 blocks, Stephen Curry with 28 points 6 assists also making 6 three-pointers and Klay Thompson with 19 points. After going 3-2 on this home stand, Charlotte Hornets (23-23) go to New York to face off against the New York Knicks on Friday night.

Charlotte Hornets lose to the Washington Wizards, 109-99

Charlotte Hornets lost to the Washington Wizards 109 to 99 Monday night. The lost snapped the Hornets 3-game winning streak and it’s the fifth win in six games for the Wizards. The Wizards have won 3 straight against the Hornets including the two times the teams played each other this year. Marvin Williams injured his right big toe in the first half and went into the locker room for evaluations but would come back and play in the second half. The Wizards were red hot in the first half, shooting 57% from the field which helped them get a 60-48 lead at halftime. Charlotte would pull within 5 early in the fourth quarter but the Wizards would go on a 11-0 run that was capped off on a steal and fast break dunk by Kelly Oubre Jr, which helped give the Wizards the win.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game would be Marco Belinelli with 18 points on 5-of-12 (41.7%) shooting off the bench for the Hornets. To be honest it was hard trying to figure out who was the MVP for the Hornets this game since everyone played terrible in my opinion. As a team the Hornets only shot 38% from the field and missed 32 three pointers and the defense was as terrible, just overall a bad game by the Hornets. Leading scores for the Hornets were Kemba Walker with 21 points on 7-of-24 shooting, Cody Zeller with 13 points 9 rebounds and Marvin Williams with 13 points 8 rebounds. The only positive note for the Hornets this game was the fact that the Hornets bench outscored the Wizards bench, 40-22 in points. Washington Wizards leading scores this game were John Wall with 24 points 7 assists, who picked up his 25^th 20-point game of the season, Markieff Morris with 23 points 8 rebounds, Bradley Beal with 18 points, Otto Porter with 14 points 13 rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season. Charlotte Hornets (23-22) host the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night on Steph Curry annual homecoming game in Charlotte, the game will be television on ESPN.

Charlotte Hornets got their third straight win by beating the Brooklyn Nets, 112-105

Charlotte Hornets got their third straight victory Saturday night when they beat the Brooklyn Nets, 112 to 105. Seven Hornets players scored in double digits while the Nets lost their 12 game in 13 games. The Nets were without point guard Jeremy Lin due to a hamstring injury, who hasn’t played against Charlotte since leaving last offseason and signing with Nets over the summer. Charlotte did come out firing, shooting 54% in the first half to build a 60-46 lead at halftime. Brooklyn would come back from 17 down in the second half and make it interesting until 3 minutes left in the game when Nic Batum hit a three-pointer and got fouled and made the free-throw and the very next possession would hit another three-pointer to help seal the win for the Hornets.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game would be Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 17 points and 14 rebounds. MKG plays hard every game he plays in but tonight he was rewarded for it, his jumpers was going in, he took the ball to the hoop and crashed the boards helping giving the Hornets the edge in the rebounding game tonight against a very good offense rebounding team. Hornets leading scorers were Nicolas Batum with 16 points 9 rebounds 6 assists, Kemba Walker with 16 points 6 assists and Ramon Sessions with 17 points off the bench. Overall the Hornets shot the ball great tonight, shooting 47% from the field, 48% from three-point range and 90% from the free-throw line. The only thing that’s worries me is the play of Marvin Williams, who lately has not been playing well. Only making one three-pointer in the past 18 games is bad especially from someone who is a great shooter like Marvin is, I don’t doubt Marvin will get out of the funk he’s in, it’s just hopefully he founds in rhyme soon. The leading scorers for Brooklyn were Brook Lopez with 24 points, Bojan Bogdanovic with 16 points, Quincy Acy with 14 points who was playing on a 10-day contract and general looked, but seems like he always plays well against the Hornets. Charlotte Hornets (23-21) play again Monday at home against the Washington Wizards.

Charlotte Hornets gets statement win against the Toronto Raptors, 113-78

The Charlotte Hornets blew-out the Toronto Raptors in a statement win Friday night, 112 to 78. Before tonight’s win, Charlotte was 0-7 against the top 3 teams (Cavs, Raptors, Celtics). It was the Hornets second straight win and second straight loss for the Raptors. The Hornets are 9-1 in their last 10 games at home; and are 15-1 this season when holding an opponent under 100 points, Charlotte held Toronto to under 20 points in three quarters this game, 18 points in the first, 15 points in the third and fourth quarters. The Hornets blew the game open in the third quarter, with the help of Kemba Walker 16 points in the quarter, Hornets outscored the Raptors 33-15 in the quarter to build a 25-point lead.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game would be Kemba Walker with 32 points on 11-16 shooting and 6 from 9 on three pointers and also dished out 8 assists. Kemba looked like locked for the All-Star this game, outplaying both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Other leading scorers for the Hornets this game was Frank Kaminsky with 16 points 8 rebounds off the bench, Nicolas Batum with 13 points 6 assists and Cody Zeller with 11 points. Leading scorers for the Raptors was Kyle Lowry with 24 points, DeMar DeRozan with 23 points and Jonas Valanclunas with 11 points 6 rebounds. The Raptors only shot 33% from the field this game while the Hornets shot a whopping 50% from the field. Charlotte also out-rebounded Toronto 51 to 33. Those two stats alone show you how one-sided this game was from start to finish. Charlotte Hornets (22-21) play tomorrow night at home against the Brooklyn Nets.

Charlotte Hornets beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 107-85

Charlotte Hornets beat the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday night, 107 to 85. Charlotte returned home after losing five straight on the road to fall under .500 and moved to the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Kemba Walker had a big first half, hitting six of nine shots, and hitting three three-pointers to help give the Hornets a 54 to 46 lead at halftime. Hornets turned 16 Portland turnovers into 21 points and the Hornets bench outscored Portland bench 44-22. Charlotte led 79-72 after the third quarter but blew the game wide-open after eight quick points from Frank Kaminsky who scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter. The Hornets limited Portland to just 35% shooting and only made 8 of 31 (25%) from the three-point line but Portland did make all 11 free-throws; Hornets did snap an 8-game streak of allowing at least 100 points.

            The MVP for the Hornets this game would be Roy Hibbert who coming into this game was averaging 5.2 points per game but went off for a season-high 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting and grabbing 6 rebounds. Hibbert also had the best play of the game when he attempted to throw an alley-oop pass to Frank Kaminsky that inadvertently went in. Hibbert didn't even crack a smile as he jogged back down court which is the most Roy Hibbert thing ever. Leading scorers for the Hornets are Kemba Walker with 23 points 5 assists, Nicolas Batum with 17 points 7 rebounds 7 assists and Marco Belinelli with 13 points 5 rebounds. Leading scorers for the Portland Trail Blazers are Damian Lillard with 21 points 7 rebounds 6 assists, C.J. McCollum with 18 points and Mason Plumlee with 8 points 10 rebounds. Charlotte Hornets (21-21) play at home Friday against Toronto Raptors.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.