All Hornets

Historic Game from Matt Morgan Leads Hornets to Dominant Win Over Blazers

Hornets finish 3-1 in regular play with 84-68 win over Portland.

Austin Leake

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Las Vegas, NV - Despite being eliminated from the Summer League Playoffs, the Hornets came to play, especially Matt Morgan. In just 22 minutes, he scored 36 points on a ridiculous 11/11 shooting from the field and 7/7 from three-point range.

Morgan's 36 points are the most points scored in a Hornets Summer League game in team history.
As well, the 36 points were more than he had previously scored in any game in England last season. He was a huge part of the Hornets' third quarter as he outscored the entire Portland team 11-8 and as a team the Hornets outscored Portland 25-8, which was the shift of the game.

Matt Morgan stole the show, but the Hornets had a couple other contributors in this win. Jake Stephens poured in three three-pointers,14 points and seven rebounds in a matchup against the No. 7 pick of Donovan Clingan. Stephens has been one of the Hornets most reliable players in the Summer League.

Another Hornets player who has been reliable is Zavier Simpson, who had another solid outing with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists. Simpson has been a really nice floor general for Charlotte, which has been hard to come by over the past couple of years in the Summer League for the Hornets.

In the matchup of top ten picks between Tidjane Salaun and Donovan Clingan, it appeared that Clingan won the matchup. Clingan recorded 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks in the first half and finished with a total of 16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and surprisingly two three-pointers. Salaun was quiet with nine points and four rebounds, while shooting 4/11 from the field.

Nick Smith Jr. as recorded just four points to go with four turnovers and shot just 1-11 from the field. He didn't score his first points until a technical free throw late in the third quarter. Another Hornet who has struggled with his offense is Leaky Black, who was held scoreless in 15 minutes of game action with just one shot attempt. If Leaky wants to secure a two-way with the Hornets he will have to be able to prove he can have some level of impact offensively.

The Blazers struggled in this game shooting the ball without question as they shot a horrendous 6-41 from three-point range. Portland started out the game 0-16 before former Hornet Bryce McGowens knocked down a three-pointer halfway through the second quarter.

McGowens played well in his "revenge game" against the Hornets with 16 points and five rebounds, but it wasn't nearly enough.

The Hornets are the only team to allow fewer than 80 points on average in Las Vegas. It just furthermore proves what the Hornets are trying to build in Charlotte, even if it starts with the Summer League.

The Hornets have a record of 6-1 across both Sacramento and Las Vegas Summer League games with one more consolation game to play. The consolation game time/date and opponent is still yet to be determined.

Published
Austin Leake

AUSTIN LEAKE

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