The Charlotte Hornets were burned by Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz as their road struggles continue.
The Charlotte Hornets (23-32) were defeated by the Utah Jazz (27-28) as they dropped their third straight game on the road. As for the Jazz, they picked up their eighth consecutive victory which is currently the longest win streak in the NBA. Kemba Walker only managed to score 19 points while rookie Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 25 points for Utah.
Every player on the Hornets’ roster was active except for newly acquired Willy Hernangomez who was not with the team. The former Knicks’ big man is expected to join the team on Sunday. Malik Monk, Dwayne Bacon and Julyan Stone each got three minutes during garbage time.
Game Story
This game featured eight lead changes and seven ties. Charlotte kept the game close throughout but was never able to lead Utah by more than four points. The Hornets were outscored 22-17 in the fourth quarter.
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?
Player of the Game
Kemba Walker led Charlotte with a team-high 19 points to go along with five assists and three rebounds. He only managed to shoot 42.1% (8-19) from the field and 37.5% (3-8) from the three-point line. The all-star point guard committed two turnovers and was a -12 in +/-.
Frank Kaminsky led the Hornets’ second unit with 14 points off of the bench. Nicolas Batum added 13 points while Marvin Williams had 11 points. Jeremy Lamb rounded out the team’s double-digit scorers with 10 points. Dwight Howard was held to only five points in this one.
Utah was led by Donovan Mitchell who put up 25 points and six rebounds. Joe Ingles chipped in 23 points, six assists and five boards. Rudy Gobert grabbed a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jonas Jerebko scored 10 points off of the Jazz bench.
Highlight of the Game:
Tweet of the Game:
STAT📈: @jlamb now has 85 career double-digit scoring games off the bench for the Hornets, passing Ramon Sessions for second most in franchise history!! #BuzzCity
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 10, 2018
(1. Dell Curry, 455) pic.twitter.com/gPX9VSc8dm
"Quick Stings"
- Utah out-rebounded Charlotte, 49-33.
- The Hornets only assisted on 17 of their 35 made shots.
- The Jazz outscored the Hornets 58-30 in points in the paint.
- Charlotte only scored five fastbreak points in this one.
- Frank Kaminsky scored 10+ points off of the bench for the 27th time this season.
With the loss, Charlotte falls to 1-1 on the year versus Utah. This was their final meeting so the two sides split their season series. The Hornets have no lost 11 straight games to the Jazz in Salt Lake City.
Next: Rumor: Hornets interested in Mitch Kupchak
In their next game, the Hornets will return home for one game to host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, February 11th. Charlotte is looking for their first win of the season against Toronto after losing their first two meetings this year. Steve Clifford’s side will need to turn things around fast if they want to make a run to the playoffs and picking up a big win over the top team in the East would be a good way to start a run.