Phoenix Suns at Charlotte Hornets
The Suns made the biggest addition before the trade deadline, acquiring Kevin Durant. Durant, who was injured when his rights were moved, finally got on the court to start the month of March. His first game in a Suns jersey happened to be against the Charlotte Hornets. He didn’t disappoint, his 10/15 shooting performance from the field made it look like he hadn’t missed any time with injury, much less changed the players with whom he shared the court.
Durant’s first game with the Suns was the first game the Hornets played after the announcement that their star, Ball, would be out for the season. Despite valiant efforts, missing Ball made the Hornets’ offense less lethal. During the five-game winning streak that preceded the Suns game, the Hornets averaged 122. They failed to break 100 vs the Suns (91).
On the positive side, Mark Williams got his third straight double-double performance. And Oubre, starting for the first time since returning from injury, led all Hornets players with 26 points.