Charlotte Hornets fall to the Los Angeles Clippers on New Year’s Eve, 106-98

Despite a 30-point performance from Kemba Walker, the Charlotte Hornets weren’t able to overcome Lou Williams and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Charlotte Hornets (13-23) were defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers (16-19) as they fell back down to Earth after beating the Golden State Warriors last time out. Charlotte couldn’t contain Lou Williams who had 40 points off of the bench for LAC. Outside of Kemba Walker, the Hornets’ struggled to find consistent offense.

Cody Zeller missed his 13th straight game with a torn left meniscus. Julyan Stone and Dwayne Bacon returned to the team after being recalled from the G-League. Both of the team’s two-way players, Marcus Paige and Mangok Mathiang, were with the Greensboro Swarm for this game.

Game Story

It looked like Charlotte had control of this game after outscoring LA 30-13 in the second quarter but a slow start to the second half led to their downfall. The Clippers bounced back to outscore the Hornets by 19 points in the third period. The starters’ offensive production, or lack thereof, outside of Kemba Walker continues to be the story for the team’s poor play.

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Player of the Game

Although Kemba finished the game with 30 points but was a team-worst -21 in +/-. Still, he was by far their most effective player on the offensive end shooting over 50% from the field and knocking down four three’s. Walker only had two assists on the night.

Frank Kaminsky added 16 points and eight rebounds off of the bench while Jeremy Lamb had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. Johnny O’Bryant scored 10 points in 13 minutes as he rounded out Charlotte’s double-figure scorers. The Hornets’ other four starters, Nicolas Batum (9), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (6), Dwight Howard (4) and Marvin Williams (0), all scored under 10 points and combined for only 19 points.

The Clippers were led by Lou Williams who scored a game-high 40 points off of the bench. Blake Griffin chipped in with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists as he was the only other LA player in double-digits. DeAndre Jordan grabbed 16 rebounds in this one.

Highlight of the Night:

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• LA outscored Charlotte, 46-32, in points in the paint.
• The Clippers’ second unit outscored the Hornets’ bench, 58-49.
• Both sides committed 17 turnovers.
• This game featured eight lead changes and two ties.
• Charlotte only shot 38.7% from the field compared to 47.4% for Los Angeles.

With the loss, Charlotte falls to 1-1 in their season series against Los Angeles. This was their second and final meeting of the year. The Hornets have now lost eight straight games in LA to the Clippers. That losing streak dates all the way back to 2010.

Next: Kyrie praises MKG's offensive evolution

In their next outing, the Hornets will travel to California’s state capital to take on the Sacramento Kings on January 2nd. It will be Charlotte’s first game of 2018 and the third game of their four-game west coast road trip. Kemba Walker and company will look to bounce back and start the new year off on the right foot.