Charlotte Hornets: Lamb’s game-winner is every bit of March Madness

Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lamb hit a 48 footer to win the game over Toronto on Sunday night, bringing some March Madness to Charlotte.

March Madness isn’t just a college basketball thing, it’s also an NBA thing, and Charlotte Hornets star Jeremy Lamb proved that on Sunday night after sinking a half-court heave to win the game for Charlotte at the buzzer.

The Hornets needed this game. The odds were stacked against them, considering they were playing against a championship contending team on the road and on a back-to-back, but Lamb saved the day and pushed the Hornets a bit closer to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

After last night’s win, the Hornets are now just two games behind the eighth seed, which is currently being held by the Miami Heat. The Orlando Magic sit in ninth place, one game above Charlotte.

Kemba Walker, the teams best player and leading scorer, struggled throughout the night offensively, but Lamb was great and came up big when it mattered most. He ended up with 13 points in 25 minutes off the bench.

The NCAA Tournament hasn’t exactly been spectacular thus far, but with the finish of yesterday’s Duke/UCF game, and then jumping to the NBA and getting this crazy game-winner from Lamb, I am satisfied and just ready for some more madness.

Well, luckily for me, the Hornets still have plenty of madness left on their plate, as the playoff push rolls on with just nine games remaining in the regular season. Regardless of the outcome, you have to be proud of this group for competing each and every night.

Lamb has had major success during March Madness in the past, as he had won a national championship with Kemba Walker in college at UConn. It’s pretty awesome to see the Walker/Lamb duo putting in work in the big league as well.

I’m sure winning the championship means more, but this has still got to be an incredible moment for Lamb, and a shot that he will always remember. It could be a shot remembered for many years in Charlotte, especially if the Hornets sneak into the playoffs.

This game-winner from Lamb is easily the best of the season in the entire NBA, and it has to be my personal favorite closing shot in a few years.

It was also Lamb’s second game-winner of the season. He hit a two-point jumper to beat the Pistons back in December. Malik Monk complicated things when he ran on the court celebrating a little to early and ended up with a technical foul and a slap to the head from Michael Jordan.

In the end, the Hornets got the win. Both of those games have proved that Lamb has developed as a closer, and is a legitimate option in the fourth quarter when teams gang up on Kemba Walker.

Lamb and the Charlotte Hornets will be back in action tomorrow night when they host the San Antonio Spurs. This will be another huge game for the Hornets as the playoff race in the Eastern Conference tightens.