Charlotte Hornets Snap Five-Game Skid With Home Win Over the Trail Blazers
The Charlotte Hornets put an end to their five-game losing streak as they returned home to beat the Portland Trail Blazers.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| All NBA | 23 | 31 | 25 | 28 | 107 |
| Trail Blazers | 26 | 20 | 26 | 13 | 85 |
The Charlotte Hornets (21-21) were able to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers (18-26) as they snapped their five-game losing streak. After a rough road trip that did not go the Hornets’ way, the team was happy to return home for this one as they got back to .500 on the season. It was a solid all-around effort but Kemba Walker‘s electric play led the way.
Jeremy Lamb (metatarsal inflammation) missed his third straight game for the Hornets but the bench stepped up their play in his absence. Charlotte’s second unit outscored Portland’s bench 44-22. Roy Hibbert had his best game of the season and everyone from Marco Belinelli to Frank Kaminsky did positive things off the pine.
Turning Point
The second quarter was the turning point in this one as the Hornets outscored the Blazers 31-20 in the period. They started the second down by three but a 15-7 run helped Charlotte take control of the game. They broke out to an eight-point lead and never looked back. From the 4:57 mark in the second quarter on, the Hornets did not relinquish their lead as they led for the remainder of the game.
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 way for Charlotte as he finished with 23 points and five assists on 8-14 shooting. Nicolas Batum had his usual all-around game as he recorded 17 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in this one. Roy Hibbert was huge off the bench as he had 16 points and six boards.
Marco Belinelli added 13 points while Frank Kaminsky scored all of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Cody Zeller was the only Hornets’ player with double figure rebounds as he ended the game with 10 boards.
The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard who had 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. C.J. McCollum chipped in 18 points as he was the only other Portland player in double figure scoring.
Play of the Game:
Tweet of the Game:
Hornets are active, talkative and physical on defense. Making quick decisions and working the ball inside/out on offense. All smiles.
— Locked On Hornets Podcast (@LockedOnHornets) January 19, 2017
"Quick Stings"
- For the first time in eight games, the Hornets held an opponent under 100 points.
- Roy Hibbert scored a season-high 16 points.
- Kemba scored 20+ points for the 29th time this season.
- Charlotte had 28 assists on 41 made shots compared to Portland who only had 18 on 33.
- The Hornets shot (41-87) 47.1% from the field and (11-26) 42.3% from the three-point line.
With the win, the Hornets improved to 1-0 over the Trail Blazers this season as this was their first meeting of the year. The two sides will match up once more this season on January 31st in Portland. Charlotte has a good chance to sweep the series based on the results of this one.
Next: Hornets Have a lot to Prove in Five-Game Homestand
In their next game, the Charlotte Hornets will host the Toronto Raptors in the second game of their five-game homestand. They will look for their first win of the season over their neighbors from north of the border. After a much-needed win, the Hornets will look to make it two in a row as they take on Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.