The Charlotte Hornets got a 24-point win against the up and coming Houston Rockets, 123-99 on Monday night. That was the largest margin of victory for them this season.
The Hornets started the first quarter with a LaMelo Ball, Mason Plumlee pick-and-role. Plumlee found Gordon Hayward for an open three. Jalen McDaniels played well in the early going, scoring seven quick points, with a shot from downtown and two floaters off the glass, in his first start of the season.
A 7-0 Rockets spurt gave them a 20-17 lead, but Ball came right back with a three to tie the game. Then Terry Rozier made an unbelievable layup over Alperen Sengun.
The Rockets featured a lineup of young G League players late in the quarter and the Hornets had a solid end to the quarter, finished off with a buzzer-beating dunk by Kelly Oubre Jr. The Hornets led by four going into the second, 33-29.
Hayward scored five quick points before he went to the bench early in the second quarter. Ball found Plumlee for a sky-scraping dunk. Ball went on a 5-0 personal run, giving the Hornets an eight point lead midway through the quarter, 48-40. Charlotte took advantage of Houston’s lack of interior defense, Daniel Theis and Christian Wood, extending the run to 17-4, making the score 58-44.
Without key players Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., the Rockets struggled to create their offense and could not find a way to stop the Hornets superior shooting, (52% field goals, 40% 3-pointers), on the other end. The Hornets led by fourteen at halftime, 64-50. Plumlee and Rozier had 13 first-half points each, while Oubre had 10 to lead the Hornets.
The third quarter was dominated by Rozier. He opened up hitting a contested three, then a step-back jump shot, which led the Hornets on a 10-4 run and a 74-54 lead. He had 14 points in the quarter, including four 3-pointers, to give him a total of 27 at the end of the third. The Hornets had some turnover issues and a short run by Eric Gordon helped Houston stay afloat for a stretch. At the end of three, the Hornets led 94-70.
The Hornets maintained strong play on both ends of the court to start the fourth quarter, then it was ‘garbage time’. Ish Smith hit a three from the top of the key and McDaniels finished with a Euro-step before the crowd started chanting “we want Bouknight”. The first year player checked into the game and hit a jumper over big man Daniel Thesis and the Hornets coasted to an easy win.
Terry Rozier had a game high 27 points and made seven 3-pointers for the Hornets. He also had 4 boards and 5 assists. Hornets coach James Borrego said he’s pleased that Rozier is starting to find a rhythm, because the team needs his scoring. “It’s great to see him put a few games now back-to-back,” Borrego said.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 18 points and had 3 rebounds. LaMelo Ball and Jalen McDaniels had 16 points each. Mason Plumlee had a season-high 15 points and 9 boards.
Trevelin Queen scored 17 points and 6 rebounds for the Rockets off the bench. Eric Gordon and Christian Wood each had 16 points, with Wood also contributing 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Rockets host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. The Hornets travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers Wednesday night.
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