The Charlotte Hornets got a huge double overtime win over the Utah Jazz on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day behind a career high and a franchise record 52 point game from Kemba.
The Charlotte Hornets (19-22) defeated the Utah Jazz (18-23) in one of the best and most exciting games of this NBA season. The Hornets earned a double overtime win behind one of the best performances you’ll ever see from Kemba Walker in this one.
The Utah Jazz would not go away in this one and they kept pushing the Hornets to the limit. They fought back to force overtime and also to force a double overtime. This game was seemingly never gong to end.
Kemba Walker had one of the best games ever in Charlotte Hornets’ history. He scored a franchise record 52 points to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists on the night. Walker passed Glen Rice who had 48 points for the Hornets back in 1997.
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Kemba had such an incredible game. He scored the most points ever on MLKDay in NBA history, scored a career high, scored a franchise record, and almost had a triple-double to go along with it.
But he didn’t do it along in this one. He had a great supporting cast to help him along the way. Marvin Williams scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Frank Kaminsky scored 17 points and had seven rebounds off of the bench. Cody Zeller scored 14 points. Nicolas Batum added 10 points, four assists, and nine rebounds. And Jeremy Lin had nine points, five assists, and six rebounds off of the bench.
The Jazz had their fair share of players who had great games as well. Gordon Hayward finished the night with 36 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. Rudy Gobert put up a big double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Trey Burke scored 25 points off of the bench.
Words just don’t do this game justice because watching the fourth quarter and both overtimes was some of the most fun that anyone could have had while watching an NBA game this season. If you missed this game, I suggest that you watch it because Walker’s performance alone was an all-time classic.
This was an all-time great performance from Kemba Walker and also an amazing game from both teams. This has to be nominated for game of the year in this NBA season. This might be the best game I have ever seen.
Highlight of the Night:
Way too many highlights in this game. The whole game was a highlight.
Tweet of the Night:
Have a day, @KembaWalker!
— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2016
In a double-OT win, he set a @Hornets record w/ 52 pts, an all-time NBA high for MLK Day. pic.twitter.com/MLmzlSGRco
"Quick Stings"
- The Charlotte Hornets out rebounded the Jazz 50-49.
- The Jazz outscored the Hornets 42-36 in points in the paint.
- Charlotte shot (41-88) 46.6% from the field and (14-27) 51.9% from the three-point line.
- The Hornets committed a staggering 16 turnovers and only forced the Jazz to commit 10.
- Utah grabbed 15 offensive rebounds in this one which kept them alive a lot of times.
The Charlotte Hornets will next play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, January 20th in OKC. The two teams have met once earlier this season with the Thunder defeating the Hornets.
Next: Jeremy Lin's Versatility is Paying Off for the Hornets
This will be a match-up with one of the best teams in the Western Conference for Charlotte as they travel to Oklahoma City. It will definitely be a tough game for the Hornets to win but maybe Jeremy Lamb can return and have a huge revenge game to help his new team get a victory.
Check back with Swarm and Sting for the latest news, updates, and analysis for the Charlotte Hornets.