The Charlotte Hornets fell to James Harden and the Houston Rockets as they were blown out on national television.
The Charlotte Hornets (10-17) were defeated by the Houston Rockets (22-4) as they struggled to keep pace with James Harden and Chris Paul. Despite a big game from Dwight Howard, the Hornets were blown out by the Rockets. Outside of Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Howard, the rest of the team only scored 39 points.
Cody Zeller was out for the fourth straight games as he recovers from a torn meniscus. Nicolas Batum returned to the starting lineup after a one-game absence. Stephen Silas filled in for Steve Clifford as Charlotte’s acting head coach for the sixth consecutive game. Clifford is still away from the team with a medical condition.
Game Story
The Hornets road struggles continued in Houston. After a good start to the game, the Rockets took control with a 36-4 run that included a 25-0 run from the end of the first quarter into the second period. That run helped the home team push their lead to as many as 26 and they never looked back Charlotte never got back within single digits. The three-point shooting was the big difference in this one.
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Player of the Game
Dwight Howard had one of his best games of the season as he finished with 26 points to go along with 18 rebounds and three blocks. The 26 points were a season-high for the eight-time all-star. This was his ninth game of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds this season.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist also grabbed a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Kemba Walker was held to only 13 points on 5-15 shooting while led the second unit with nine points off of the bench. Nicolas Batum nearly had himself a double-double with nine points and nine boards.
The Rockets were led by Chris Paul who is now 12-0 in games that he’s played in for Houston. He put up a season-high 31 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds. James Harden ended the game with 21 points and eight assists. Eric Gordon (17) and Trevor Ariza (13) rounded out their double-figure scorers.
Highlight of the Night:
Tweet of the Game:
Our first unit looks good in the throwbacks. The 2nd unit should be wearing Bobcat unis.
— The Crown Club 👑 (@CrownClubCLT) December 14, 2017
"Quick Stings"
- Dwight Howard has scored 20+ points in four straight games.
- This game featured four lead changes and one tie.
- Houston made 17 three’s compared to only four from Charlotte.
- The Hornets outscored the Rockets 48-34 in points in the paint.
- Charlotte’s now 2-11 on the road this season.
With the loss, Charlotte falls to 0-2 on the season against Houston. This was the second and final meeting between these two sides this year. The Hornets have now lost four straight regular-season games to the Rockets.
Next: MJ holds players-only meeting with Charlotte
In their next game, the Hornets will return home to take on the Miami Heat on Friday, December 15th. This will be their second game against their division rivals this season after Charlotte lost to them back on December 1st. The Queen City team will be looking to snap their three-game home losing streak.