Hornets Venom GT Recap: Comeback Falls Short Against NetsGC

Hornets Venom GT, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, played their second game of Tipoff group play on Thursday, April 7. Facing off against NetsGC, one of their biggest rivals, Venom came out ready to play in this one.

Taking the first quarter 22-16, Venom looked solid out of the gate. A sluggish second quarter led to the Nets taking a 41-34 lead into the break, however. A back-and-forth third quarter saw Venom take a nine-point deficit into the final six minutes of action. From there, a relatively low-scoring fourth quarter concluded in the Hornets’ first loss of the 2022 season. Final score: 76-67.

Glennratty led the way for Venom. Scoring 25 points and shooting 7-11 from deep, he was feeling it all night long – Lionel Richie style – and there was nothing NetsGC could do to stop him.

DJ also built upon his 20-20 debut with another solid double-double. Dropping 17 points and collecting 15 rebounds, the big man continues to be a force in the paint. He also shot effectively (8-11 FG) and chipped in four assists as well.

Crown did a little bit of everything in this one. Bringing 10 points to the table from the power forward position is no small task, and chipping in three rebounds, three assists, and three “stocks” (steals and blocks) should put a smile on any power forward’s face. He also helped keep opposing big man Shotz in check; he shot 5-10 from the field for 12 points.

Nick and King Haad had slightly off games. While Nick continued to bring elite, valuable defense, his offensive game still has yet to appear in the 2022 box score. On the other hand, King Haad did not have enough offense show up in this one. Scoring nine points on 3-7 shooting with five turnovers from the point guard spot, it was a rough one to be sure.

In a dual-guard-centered meta, it is difficult to win when you are outscored 49-34 between the guard positions. It is even harder to win when your opponent swipes away 12 steals compared to your four.

Unfortunately, that is what happened to Venom tonight. Live-ball turnovers led to easy points for the opposing guards and that eventually led to Venom’s first defeat of the season.

With one more game in week one of group play, Venom will take on Raptors Uprising GC tomorrow night. With the newly-transitioned Dimez at center, it should be a battle on the boards down low between he and DJ.