The Charlotte Hornets came up short, losing to the Utah Jazz, 112-102, on Monday night. It was their third straight loss on their west coast road trip.
The Hornets got off to another shaky start and could not get their shots to fall. They started the game by missing their first eight shot attempts. Utah jumped out to a 15-2 lead before Charlotte made a basket.
Charlotte did not make their first basket until the 7:25 mark of the first quarter, when Miles Bridges drove for a layup. The Hornets shot only 5 of 24 from the field, tying a season low for fewest field goals in a period.
The Jazz extended their lead to 21 points later in the quarter, going up 29-8 on a 12-2 run, capped off by baskets from Bojan Bogandovic. The Jazz took a 35-16 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Hornets offensive woes continued into the second quarter, but they used stifling defense on the other end to keep themselves in the game. Jalen McDaniels provided a jolt of energy in the first half with some timely defense and transition buckets. The Hornets eventually did find their offensive groove. They still had trouble keeping the Jazz off the glass and the charity stripe, which continued to happen throughout the game. By halftime, the Hornets were trailing by thirteen points, 54-41.
Starting the third quarter, both teams went on mini-runs, before LaMelo Ball made a pair of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, pulling the Hornets within single digits for the first time since the 8:13 mark of the first quarter. They pulled even closer when backup point guard Ish Smith connected on a pull-up 3-pointer to get them within 6. Jordan Clarkson stretched the lead back to 12 by hitting 2 shots from downtown. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Jazz led 80-68.
Center Mason Plumlee missed a halfcourt heave early in the fourth quarter as the shot clock ran out. Terry Rozier had better luck finding the bottom of the net. He hit 3 straight shots from downtown to get the Hornets back within shouting distance. It was the beginning of a 20-2 run, with 14 coming from Rozier, to give the Hornets a 92-91 lead with 3:30 remaining in the game. That would be the high point in the game for the Hornets.
The Jazz responded with a 15-3 run of their own, that wiped out most of what the Hornets had done. The Hornets did not have the time nor the energy to make another run.
“Got a one-point lead with three minutes to go,” Charlotte coach James Borrego said. “We kept battling. We show resiliency. We show fight, but we got to get off to better starts.”
Rudy Gobert had a huge double-double with 23 points and 21 rebounds for the Jazz. He went 15 of 16 from the free throw line, setting a new career-high for made free throws. Bojan Bogandovic added 23 points. Donovan Mitchell contributed 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
LaMelo Ball had a double-double with 21 points and 11 assists for the Hornets. Miles Bridges also had a double-double with 21 points and 10 boards. Terry Rozier contributed 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Jazz host Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. The Hornets will end their west coast road trip Thursday against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
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