Hornets Outlast Jazz in Low-Scoring Affair
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Charlotte, N.C. - The Charlotte Hornets got back in the win column on Friday night with a 107-101 win over the Utah Jazz. Charlotte went 4-1 on the five-game homestand, pushing their record to 38-36 on the season.
Just a couple of nights ago, the Hornets allowed 40 points in the opening quarter against the New York Knicks who were without Julius Randle, Derrick Rose, and Kemba Walker. It seemed like they took exception to that and cleaned up a lot of those defensive issues, giving up 51 points through the first two quarters.
Utah got out to a quick 11-3 lead prompting a timeout from Hornets head coach James Borrego. Charlotte finally settled in, well, at least Terry Rozier did as he had the hot hand early, notching eight of the first nine points for the Hornets and 11 of the first 17 (3/3 3 FG).
The Jazz fell in love with the three ball early, hoisting up 15 shots from the perimeter in the first quarter alone. They finished the first half 10/26 from deep which kept them in it considering Rudy Gobert had just two points in the half and his lone bucket was the opening basket of the game. Meanwhile, the Hornets were a tad more selective from three but were red hot, knocking down 53% of their attempts. Miles Bridges got going late with a pair of threes and a powerful dunk.
Bridges recorded 10 of the final 12 points the Hornets would score in the second. Charlotte took a slim, 54-51 lead into the break.
Scoring slowed down quite a bit in the third as both teams dried up from three for about the first 10 minutes or so. However, Utah scored in bunches with 14 points in the final two and a half minutes and a 7-2 run in the final minute gave them a 78-77 lead heading into the fourth.
Neither team was able to hold onto a lead early in the fourth quarter as the two traded the lead back and forth seemingly every trip up the floor. Charlotte finally gained some momentum with a very quick 7-0 run via a Terry Rozier three, an Isaiah Thomas floater that nearly grazed the rafters which was followed up by a steal in the backcourt by Rozier that led to an easy layup, giving the Hornets a 93-87 lead.
That little bit of breathing room didn't last for long as Utah got right back in it and even took the lead. Terry Rozier drilled a clutch three with 1:08 remaining to break a 99-99 tie. Donovan Mitchell answered with a difficult shot in the paint, cutting the deficit to just one. On the next trip up the floor, Rudy Gobert committed a shooting foul on Miles Bridges to extend the lead to 104-101. Mitchell missed a layup on the other end and from there on out, the Hornets knocked down free throws to put the dagger in the Jazz.
The Hornets will now hit the road for a very important game on Sunday night against the Brooklyn Nets. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.
BOX SCORE
UTA: 24-27-27-23-101
CHA: 23-31-23-30-107
TEAM STATS (ACCUMULATIVE)
1st
UTA: 9/23 FG | 5/15 3FG | 11 REB | 3 PIP | 2 TOs
CHA 8/18 FG | 5/8 3FG | 11 REB | 9 PIP | 3 TOs
2nd
UTA: 18/41 FG | 10/26 3FG | 16 REB | 16 PIP | 4 TOs
CHA 21/42 FG | 9/17 3FG | 21 REB | 22 PIP | 4 TOs
3rd
UTA: 28/60 FG | 14/37 3FG | 27 REB | 30 PIP | 5 TOs
CHA 30/66 FG | 11/28 3FG | 38 REB | 34 PIP | 8 TOs
4th
UTA: 38/84 FG | 17/47 3FG | 38 REB | 40 PIP | 12 TOs
CHA 41/88 FG | 13/34 3FG | 45 REB | 52 PIP | 10 TOs
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