Charlotte Hornets Play Flat in Blowout Loss to the Blazers, Drop Fifth Straight

The Charlotte Hornets put together a poor performance as they were blown out by the Trail Blazers in Portland to open their road trip out west.

The Charlotte Hornets (23-26) were defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers (22-28) as their losing streak was extended to five games. They have also lost eight consecutive games away from home. Damian Lillard outplayed Kemba Walker and led the home team to a dominating victory.

Cody Zeller missed his fourth straight game with a quad contusion. The Hornets are now 1-10 without their starting center this season. Jeremy Lamb returned to the court after missing the past 10 games for Charlotte. He played limited minutes at the end of the game.

Turning Point

The whole third quarter was the turning point in this one. Charlotte’s strongest period is usually the third but they were thoroughly outplayed this time around. They only scored five points in the first six minutes of the second half. After being down six at halftime, the Hornets trailed by 18 at the end of the third. Portland outscored Charlotte 30-18 in the period.

More from Swarm and Sting

• Hornets: Where does Brandon Miller’s ceiling rank among other rookies?
• Charlotte Hornets grade out mostly average in position-by-position ranking
• Hornets News: P.J. Washington makes bold statement on Brandon Miller
• Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
• Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?

Who Stepped Up

Kemba Walker led the Hornets with a team-high 22 points and five assists. Although, it did take him 18 shots to get to that mark. Nicolas Batum added 18 points in his return to Portland. He also recorded eight rebounds and six assists.

Frank Kaminsky and Marvin Williams each chipped in 10 points for the game. Brian Roberts, who only played the final six minutes of the game, was Charlotte’s fifth leading scorer with eight points. Sad story for the rest of the team.

The Trail Blazers were led by Damian Lillard who scored a game-high 27 points to go along with four boards and four assists. Allen Crabbed finished with 21 points and five rebounds off the bench. C.J. McCollum scored 18 points on the night.

Play of the Game:

I guess this one. There weren’t a lot of good plays for Charlotte.

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• Kemba scored 20+ points for the 35th time this season. At least he’s consistent.
• Walker has now made a three-pointer in 27 straight games.
• Portland’s bench outscored Charlotte’s second unit 55-41.
• The Blazers out-rebounded the Hornets 51-42.
• Charlotte only shot (33-83) 39.8% from the field and (11-31) 35.5% from three.

With the loss, the Hornets dropped to 1-1 against the Blazers this season. That’s how their season series will end this year as the two teams only had two meetings scheduled. Both games were blwouts but played out vastly different for Charlotte.

Next: Tobey Putting Together a Productive Season With Greensboro

In their next game, the Charlotte Hornets will take on the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry is questionable for the game so the visitors might have a chance but it isn’t likely with their current form. Steve Clifford’s side is desperately in need of a win but it doesn’t look to be coming anytime soon. A major upset could turn things around pretty quickly.