Hornets Drop Homestand Finale to Brooklyn, 133-121

The Nets took down the Hornets to send the team below .500 for the first time this season.

The Brooklyn Nets took down the Charlotte Hornets on Monday despite being without their starting center, Nic Claxton. But even with the Nets' frontcourt depleted and 6-foot-7 Dorian Finney-Smith starting at center, the Hornets were unable to take advantage on the boards. 

Charlotte was outrebounded 46 to 39 by Brooklyn. One of the bright spots for the Hornets in this one was Mark Williams. He started the scoring off for Charlotte with a layup off a loose ball, and imposed his presence offensively in throwing down three straight dunks in the opening minutes of play. 

But unfortunately, he struggled on the defensive end along with much of the team. The Hornets allowed the Nets to shoot 54% from the floor, and gave up 64 points in the paint. 

Brooklyn's offense threatened to blow the game open in the first half as they jumped out to a 19-point lead. The Hornets rallied back with an 18-7 run to trim the deficit to eight. Charlotte went into the halftime break down eleven. 

In the second half, subpar shooting and a continued disadvantage on the boards prevented Charlotte from making a comeback. The Hornets will return to action Wednesday night in Houston at 8:00 PM. 

Best of the night:

Brandon Miller continues to be one of the top performers for the Hornets on a nightly basis. Against the Nets, he racked up a new career-best 22 points. Miller has now upped his scoring output in each of his three career games. 

Worst of the night: 

LaMelo Ball had a rough outing with just six points on 3-for-12 shooting, including 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. After being cleared to play a month ago, Ball has had some understandably inconsistent outings. It is hard to envision the Hornets going anywhere this year without LaMelo at his best. 

Stat of the night:

Mark Williams notched his career-high for points in a quarter with 10 in the opening frame. 

Highlight of the night:

With 8:30 remaining in the first quarter, Terry Rozier threw a transition lob to Mark Williams, who finished with a powerful slam.