Hornets Can’t Overcome Poor 3-Point Shooting In Loss To Thunder
The Hornets fell 104-102 in Overtime to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Charlotte on Friday night.
Hard to believe the Hornets were in this game at all after seeing their 3-point shooting percentage. Starting out ice-cold from beyond the arc, the Hornets found themselves in a hole for much of the first half and trailed by 10 going into the break. Aside from the atrocious 3 point shooting, the Hornets did some nice things in order to stay competitive when their shots weren’t falling. Here are 3 things the Hornets did well against the Thunder:
1) Rebounding (WHAT??)
I know it’s weird to think about the Hornets outrebounding anyone with how poorly they have rebounded thus far this season. But they did tonight, outrebounding the Thunder 54-49.
This was a major key to the Hornets staying in this game. With a big man like Steven Adams in the middle, the Hornets had their work cut out for them in this one but they fared well. Charlotte also had 17 offensive rebounds to OKC’s 10. I should mention that Oklahoma City struggled from beyond the arc tonight going 5 for 31 while Charlotte finished 7 for 39.
2) Points In The Paint (Seriously)
The Hornets aren’t terrible ranking 17th in the league while averaging 46.8 points in the paint per game. Tonight though, they crushed that average, finishing with 66 points in the paint. Charlotte simply did what they had to do tonight to make up for lack of 3 point shooting and they finished with 16 more points in the paint than OKC (66-50).
3) Ball Movement
This one has been coming along for some time now. The Hornets have been getting better and better at moving the ball quickly and efficiently throughout Borrego’s tenure in Charlotte. Tonight was no different as they finished with 26 assists as a team. Ranking 16th in the NBA in assists per game, Charlotte averages about 24 assists. Even in the loss, the Hornets did some nice things. And with Charlotte shooting just 18% from three, it was good to see them battle down the stretch doing things that many wouldn’t consider being their strengths.
Other Notes
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers and finished with 27 on 10 of 17 shooting.
- Dennis Schroder added 24 off the bench while also shooting 10 of 17 from the field.
- Devonte Graham had an off night shooting, going 6 of 21 from the field and 3 of 13 from three but hit big shots late and even the game-tying layup to send the game into OT.
- Terry Rozier led the Hornets in scoring with 26 on 10-18 shooting. He was the most consistent player tonight for Charlotte.
- Rozier had a lapse in judgment at the end of regulation as he tossed the ball into the stands as time expired. The refs assessed a technical foul to Rozier and the Thunder were awarded a free throw to begin overtime.
Hornets next game: 12/28 @ Memphis
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