Howard explodes for 32 points, 30 rebounds in Hornets’ win over Nets

NEW YORK — One of Dwight Howard’s close friends wasn’t too enthused with the center’s effort at halftime. So, he sent him a text message to let him know.

It pushed the Charlotte Hornets star to one of the most dominant performances in NBA history.

Howard had 32 points and a franchise-record 30 rebounds, becoming just the eighth player in league history with a 30-30 game, and the Hornets stormed back to beat Brooklyn 111-105 on Wednesday night.

“I just thought that my energy and effort wasn’t where it needed to be for our team to be successful,” Howard said. “Got a text at halftime from somebody and it kind of got me motivated and gave me some extra energy.”

Howard is the first NBA player with a 30-point, 30-rebound game since Kevin Love did it for Minnesota on Nov. 12, 2010.

“Never been part of something like that,” Hornets teammate Kemba Walker said. “It was incredible. Yeah, it was incredible to see those kinds of numbers and be a part of it. Yeah, it was crazy.”

Howard also became the first player with a 30-30 game against the Nets since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it for the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 3, 1978, when he had 37 points and 30 rebounds.

“I mean that’s great to be named with someone like Kareem,” Howard said. “It’s one of the guys I looked up to growing up, him and Wilt Chamberlain.”

Walker scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter for the Hornets, who trailed by as many 23 points in the second half but rallied to win in front of an announced crowd of 10,231 at Barclay Center while a heavy snowfall outside blanketed the New York City area.

Trailing 105-102 after a pair of free throws from D’Angelo Russell with 2:14 left in regulation, the Hornets tightened up on defense and went on a 9-0 run to pull off the impressive comeback.

Jeremy Lamb, who had 17 points to help end Charlotte’s two-game losing streak, made a layup to cut the deficit to 105-104. The Hornets then called a timeout after a miss by Caris LeVert with 23 seconds left.

Brooklyn missed its last five shots of the game.

Despite having made just five of his first 24 shots on the night, on the ensuing possession, Walker got the green light from Hornets coach Steve Clifford. The Bronx native, who starred at Rice High School in Harlem, spun around Quincy Acy and capped a three-point play to put Charlotte up 107-105, the Hornets’ first lead of the night since a 16-15 advantage with 5:46 in the opening quarter.

“I’d been struggling the whole night, but guys are confident in me and that’s all that matters,” Walker said. “Coach still wanted me to be the one to take the shot.”

LeVert then missed a chance to tie it when he was met by Howard under the basket. Howard then hit a pair of free throws to make it 109-105.

Russell scored 19 points and LeVert added 11 for the Nets, whose two-game winning streak was snapped. They have yet to have won three consecutive this season.

“We’ve done a great job the last two games locking down in the fourth quarter and tonight we didn’t,” Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said.

Brooklyn used a stellar defensive effort to take a 62-43 lead into halftime before everything fell apart in the last 18 minutes of the game. The Hornets were limited to 16-for-44 shooting from the field and committed 10 turnovers.

The Nets led 82-59 after Carroll’s layup with 6:13 left in the third quarter before the Hornets started to chip away as Howard had nine points to pace a 16-5 run to head into the fourth quarter trailing 87-75.

Charlotte then outscored the Nets 36-18 the rest of the way.

A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO

Chamberlain leads the career list with 124 games of at least 30 points and 30 rebounds, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It has been done 32 times by a select list of players that includes Love, Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone and Robert Parish.

TIP-INS

Hornets: Cody Zeller remained out due to left knee soreness. He has missed his last six games. … Nicolas Batum missed his second straight game because of tendinitis in his left Achilles. Lamb again started in his place.

Nets: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 13 points.

UP NEXT

Hornets: Host Memphis on Thursday night.

Nets: Visit Toronto on Friday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Bulls end 10-game skid with OT win over Hornets

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Chicago Bulls thought they were trending in the right direction in the last few games of their 10-game losing streak. On Friday night, they kept their poise and finished strong.

Lauri Markkanen had 24 points, including a key 3-pointer in overtime, and 12 rebounds to lead Chicago to a 119-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

“Lauri showed again that he’s going to be a heck of a player in this league,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He was awesome down the stretch making big, clutch plays for us.”

Robin Lopez had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago. Kris Dunn scored 20 points, Justin Holiday had 17 and David Nwaba chipped in with 11 for the Bulls, who are 2-0 against Charlotte and 2-20 against the rest of the league.

Dwight Howard had 25 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Hornets, his second 20-20 game of the season. Kemba Walker added 20 points, and Marvin Williams had a season-high 17.

“We have to rely on (Howard) quite a bit,” Hornets’ coach Stephen Silas said. “Dwight was great tonight as far as his post presence, paint catches, rebounding and just keeping us in the game.”

Charlotte made up a two-possession deficit in the final minute. Walker made a pair of free throws with 5.3 seconds left to force overtime in a back-and-forth game that featured 17 lead changes and 20 ties. Neither team led by more than eight.

The extra period belonged to Chicago as the Bulls never trailed.

“We thought, as a team, the last couple close games, we thought we could have won them. It just happened down the stretch we didn’t execute,” Dunn said. “We finally got the monkey off our back. It felt good, and we should start something new.”

The Bulls used an 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter and gain an 83-79 lead, setting up a frantic final few minutes.

“The thing I was most impressed by with our guys was how they just kept playing, how they showed the resolve,” Hoiberg said. “After Kemba tied it up to send it into overtime … to be able to keep our composure and make winning plays was huge.”

TIP-INS

Bulls: Chicago, despite a significant size disadvantage, outscored the Hornets 56-50 in the paint. … Nikola Mirotic saw 14 minutes of action, scoring six points, in his return from injury. Mrotic suffered facial fractures in a fight with teammate Bobby Portis during practice on Oct. 17.

Hornets: Charlotte was without a pair of big men as Frank Kaminsky and Cody Zeller did not play after picking up injuries in Wednesday’s loss to the Warriors. … Silas coached the Hornets for the third straight game in place of Steve Clifford, who is out indefinitely with health issues.

CALLING THE RESERVES

The Bulls’ bench provided 32 points and tight defense to keep the game close.

“The second unit was key,” Holiday said. “It was like, ‘Right now is when we need to make our push,’ and they came in and I think might’ve gotten four stops in a row. … The second unit got us the lead and we won the game.”

NO TIME TO REST

The short-handed Hornets will turn around and play again Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Four Charlotte players were on the floor for at least 39 minutes against the Bulls, and Silas believes fatigue will be a factor.

“It’s a mindset. We have to be in the right frame of mind to go out and play well,” he said. “Guys are going to have to come off the bench and play more minutes than usual.”

UP NEXT

Bulls: Host the Knicks on Saturday night.

Hornets: Host the Lakers on Saturday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Irving gets hit in face, Celtics hold off Hornets

BOSTON — Another game, another injury, another win for the Boston Celtics.

Jayson Tatum had 16 points, Shane Larkin added 16 off the bench and the Celtics overcame an injury to Kyrie Irving and a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Charlotte Hornets 90-87 on Friday night.

Terry Rozier finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, playing an increased role after Irving left the game in the first quarter after taking an elbow to the face. Jaylen Brown added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The Celtics extended their win streak to 11 games. Charlotte has lost four straight.

“We just got a lot of fighters, a lot of resilient guys,” Larkin said of a team that’s now seen Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and now Irving beset by injuries.
He said his teammates’ misfortunes have underlined the necessity of staying ready.

“I’m always locked it. That’s my job. I don’t know when my opportunity’s gonna be there,” Larkin said. “Tonight I hit some shots early, coach kept rocking with me, so I tried to throw my best.”

Celtics center Aron Baynes’ elbow inadvertently struck Irving when Baynes was landing after a rebound attempt.

Irving fell to the floor and was bleeding from the nose as he was escorted back to the locker room. Irving was ruled out for the rest of the game while he was monitored for possible concussion symptoms.

Larkin said Irving spoke to the team at halftime and texted them all congratulations on the win.

Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 20 points and 11 assists.

Celtics trailed by 12 after three quarters, but opened the fourth on a 16-3 run and took the lead with 4:05 to play on a basket by Brown.

The lead grew to five before Walker’s three-point play got the Hornets back within 86-85. Marcus Morris connected on a jumper, but Walker responded with a driving layup to get it back to a point.
Boston called timeout, but Rozier accidently stepped out of bounds on the ensuing inbounds play. Walker dribbled the clock down, but his jumper bounced off the back of the rim and was rebounded by Rozier. He was fouled and sank two free throws with 3.6 seconds left.

Charlotte struggled throughout the final period, going 4 of 20 from the field and committing six turnovers.

“We’re giving up huge leads. We’re not maintaining our game,” Walker said. “We’ve got to be better as a whole.”

With Irving out, Charlotte took advantage against Boston’s reserves early, stretching its lead to as many as 18 in the second quarter and taking a 16-point lead into halftime.

BANGED UP

Irving’s injury is the latest stroke of bad luck for a Boston starter. Horford missed his second straight game with a concussion. And, of course, Hayward is out for the season after a gruesome leg injury on opening night.

SLOW START

The Celtics opened just 1 of 11 from the floor, and that first made field goal never made it through the hoop. Brown was credited with a basket when Howard was called for goaltending with 8:58 left in the first quarter, cutting Charlotte’s lead to 9-2.

Boston’s first field goal to actually fall through the basket came from Morris more than halfway through the quarter.

TIP-INS

Hornets: Charlotte’s 57 points in the first half were the second most the Celtics have allowed in the first half this season, one fewer than Milwaukee scored in the opening half of a 108-100 win on Oct. 18. … Nicolas Batum (sprained left elbow) and Treveon Graham (right quad contusion) both sat out.

Celtics: Shot just 33 percent (14 of 43) in the first half. … Coach Brad Stevens said Horford is “doing way better” but wouldn’t speculate about his availability.

UP NEXT

Hornets: Host Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Celtics: Host Raptors on Sunday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

James reaches another milestone in Cavs win over Hornets

CLEVELAND — Standing at midcourt, LeBron James spun the ball on his index finger as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

He had the Hornets turning in circles all night.

James scored 17 of his season-high 44 points in the fourth quarter and reached another career milestone as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth straight, 116-105 over Charlotte on Saturday.

James did it all, making five 3-pointers and adding 10 assists and nine rebounds in 43 minutes. He took over in the fourth, scoring 13 straight during one stretch to help the Cavs hold on.

“A lot of our guys had heavy legs tonight and it was up to me to get through it,” he said.

“He carried us,” teammate Kevin Love said. “I kept telling him, ‘Take us home.'”

James, who moved into ninth place on the career scoring list Friday, recorded his 7,000th assist in the first half, becoming the first frontcourt player in NBA history to reach the plateau.

The 31-year-old is the only player with 27,000 points, 7,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds.

“I don’t know what to say,” James said when asked about the achievement. “That’s the triple threat of me. To rebound, to pass, to put the ball in the hole a little bit. It’s just an honor. I’m just blessed. To be the only one to put up those numbers is pretty cool because this is the game I love. It’s the game I watched my whole life growing up, so it’s incredible.”

Cleveland shot a season-best 58 percent from the field and beat Charlotte for the sixth straight time at home.

Kemba Walker scored 24 to pace the Hornets, playing the first of five consecutive road games. Walker sat out the final few minutes after banging knees with James.

“It’s not bad at all,” said Walker, who had a sleeve over his left knee. “At the moment it looked pretty bad, but I’m good. I was coming off a ball screen and he ran into me.”

Charlotte coach Steve Clifford knew his team was going to have trouble defending the Cavs if the reigning NBA champions were clicking.

Once James warmed up, there wasn’t much the Hornets could do.

“He passed. He rebounded. He made 3s. He was great going to the basket,” Clifton said. “He was phenomenal. He made three or four 3s that he’s going to make. You can’t block them. You can’t contest them. When he’s shooting the ball like that there’s nothing you can do, other than blitz, and that’s what he wants you to do, and then he really makes you look bad.”

The Cavs were on target from the start, shooting 71 percent while building a 12-point lead in the first quarter. Cleveland stayed around 70 percent for most of the first half and had a 15-point lead at halftime.

The Hornets cut it to three in the third, but James countered with a pair of 3s in a span of 25 seconds, straddling the arc after the second make while looking in the direction of Clifford, who was calling a timeout.

NO REST

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue intends to rest James at some point, but not on a night when Kyrie Irving said he was tired.

“I didn’t want to play LeBron this many minutes, but he came and said, ‘Coach, I’m fine,'” Lue said. “Then, he started raining 3s. We had to ride him tonight.”

TIP-INS

Hornets: Nicolas Batum is one of five NBA players averaging at least 13 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists. James, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden are the others. Of that group, Batum came in averaging the fewest turnovers (2.3). … Walker entered with the second-most 3-pointers (61) in the Eastern Conference. Only Toronto’s Kyle Lowry had made more. … Charlotte’s trip includes stops in Indiana, Washington, Boston and Atlanta. The Hornets won’t play at home again until Dec. 20 when they host the Lakers.

Cavaliers: Irving scored only 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. … J.R. Smith returned after missing two games with a hyperextended left knee and scored six points in 32 minutes. … Irving joined James and Mark Price as the only players in Cleveland history with 600 career 3-pointers. … Cleveland improved to 41-10 at home against Charlotte. … Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles, an Ohio native, was introduced during a timeout in the first quarter. … F Channing Frye missed his second straight game to attend his father’s funeral.

UP NEXT

Hornets: At Indiana on Monday.

Cavaliers: Host Memphis on Tuesday before flying to Tennessee to face the Grizzlies again on Wednesday.

source: sports.inquirer.net