Hornets Grind Out Win Against Pelicans

The Charlotte Hornets pulled off their fifth straight win, beating the New Orleans Pelicans, 106-103 on Monday.

The Hornets were playing their third game of a five-game home stand. Both teams came into the game playing good basketball as of late, so it was bound to be a tightly-contested battle.

Both teams started off strong on the defensive end of the court. Pelicans’ center, Jonas Valanciunas, got the scoring started, hitting a short jumper. LaMelo Ball and PJ Washington came up with deflections early, with Washington’s leading to a Terry Rozier three-point shot to get the Hornets on the board.

CJ McCollum led the Pelicans offense, aiding Willy Hernangomez, who came off the bench and scored four quick points. Both teams had trouble finding their rhythm, which led to a low scoring first quarter. Hornets Isaiah Thomas’ pull-up jump shot cut the Pelicans lead to three, 22-19 after one.

Ball assisted Thomas on two jumpers to begin the second quarter, the second of which came on a no-look, over-the-head bounce pass. The offenses came alive, with the Hornets tying the game at 30. Then the Pelicans went on a 5-0 run, forcing coach James Borrego to call a timeout.

Mason Plumlee’s defensive efforts and Thomas’ scoring carried Charlotte through the quarter. However, 11 first half turnovers hampered the Hornets as the Pelicans were afforded extra chances at the basket. Naji Marshall took the ball three quarters of the court and passed it to Jackson Hayes for a last second layup. New Orleans led by six, 49-43 at halftime.

McCollum drove and passed to Herb Jones to score starting the second half. Ball quickly converted three shots from downtown to trim the lead to one, 58-57, with a little more than four minutes elapsing in the quarter. Jones was ejected after being assessed a flagrant 2 foul for elbowing Miles Bridges while he was attempting a layup.

The Pelicans then went on a 5-0 run, seizing the momentum. Montrezl Harrell deposited two ferocious dunks, but that did not deter McCollum and the Pelicans from answering right back. After both teams missed the majority of their shots in the final two and a half minutes, the Hornets trailed 84-78 entering the final stanza.

Harrell dominated inside to start the fourth quarter. A missed bunny by Thomas, led to a five-point swing after Jose Alvarado hit from three-point range, giving the Pelicans a nine point advantage, 91-82 and forcing the Hornets to call a timeout. Rozier hit a shot from beyond the arc off the ensuing inbound. The Hornets missed out on some prime opportunities to get back into the game until Bridges’ layup and consecutive baskets from Rozier knotted the game at 95, capping off an 8-0 run. Bridges’ second shot from beyond the arc, put the Hornets ahead by the slimmest of margins, 98-97, with 2:12 left in the game.

Washington found Plumlee cutting down the lane for a crucial dunk a short time later. Ball went one-on-one with Hayes, blowing by him and nailing a floater to put the Hornets up by three, 106-103, with 8.9 seconds left. Former Hornet Devonte Graham’s last second shot fell short.

“Resiliency, toughness — we never gave in and we found a way,” Hornets coach James Borrego said.

Ball scored 17 points, with four rebounds and nine assists for the Hornets. Rozier finished with 17 points also, on 7-14 shooting, with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Bridges had 16 points, four boards and one steal. Thomas chipped in 15 points, on 5-9 from the field, and one assist off the bench.

McCollum had a game-high 27 points for the Pelicans, with six assists and one steal. Valanciunas had a double-double with 24 points and 18 rebounds. He also had five assists, one steal and two rejections. Marshall finished with 14 points, five boards and one assist.

“The execution down the stretch is extremely important,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green. “It’s something we’ve been talking about and we just fell a little short with this one down the stretch. It was right there for the taking. Give Charlotte credit, they made plays down the stretch that ultimately won the game for them.”

The Pelicans host DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. The Hornets host RJ Barrett and the New York Knicks on Wednesday.