Charlotte Hornets stun Brooklyn Nets, Gordon Hayward shines with 28 points, 7 assists
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Terry Rozier made two free throws with 5.3 seconds left as the Charlotte Hornets hung on for a striking 106-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Spectrum Center on Sunday night.
Gordon Hayward, the Hornets’ major free-agent acquisition, finished with 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The Nets got 29 points from Kevin Durant, but the superstar forward missed a corner jump shot in the final minute on a crucial Brooklyn possession. Charlotte center Bismack Biyombo disrupted Durant’s shot.
The Hornets entered this game 0-2, with rebounding a big underlying cause. Sunday, the Hornets stayed even with the Nets on the boards, despite being shorthanded at center. Biyombo, who took over as starter with Cody Zeller (broken hand) out, had a terrific game with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and six rebounds.
Rozier finished with 19 points and P.J. Washington totaled 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Four observations from the victory:
ROZIER’S READINESS
Rozier has been the Hornets’ best player so far this season, and that’s not particularly close. He is pushing the ball to the rim and made some huge pressure shots in bringing Charlotte back to make the season-opener in Cleveland close.
Rozier lost about 15 pounds in the long pandemic-induced layoff. He showed up for training camp in excellent shape, and that wasn’t the case for a wide spectrum of players, in Charlotte or the NBA at large. Rozier has been such a pro in his time so far in Charlotte, and he’s looked to be more of a leader-mentor on a young team this season.
SOME REBOUNDING IMPROVEMENT
The Hornets were dreadful in their first two games on the boards, with an average rebounding deficit of 12.5. They managed to outrebound the Nets 52-46.
The Hornets were last in the NBA last season in defensive-rebounding possession, and that seemed to be an obvious area to address with the available salary cap space. However, the opportunity to acquire small forward Gordon Hayward took precedence. Improving rebounding must now be internal and collective.
HAYWARD’S VERSATILITY
While the Hornets obviously expect Hayward to be one of, if not the, top scorer this season, his offensive game is more decision-maker versatile than just get baskets. At halftime, Hayward had 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, but he also had three assists and three rebounds. He was a big part, as both a passer and a shooter, of the Hornets scoring 30 points in the lane in the first half.
As the core players on this team learn to blend better, Hayward might be the ballhandler as much as any Hornet, getting the ball to guard Devonte Graham and Rozier in optimal scoring position.
DEPTH COMES AND GOES
Depth looked much iimproved in the preseason, due to a large degree to the additions of Hayward and rookie LaMelo Ball. Among other things, that allows Miles Bridges to become this team’s sixth man.
While Borrego is playing 10 deep in his rotation right now, the reserves sure couldn’t help at the offensive end in the first half. It took 17 minutes for any bench player to score. That finally happened when Ball hit a 3-pointer — one of only three for Charlotte in the first half — midway through the second quarter.