Charlotte Hornets

2023-12-15

Hornets Recover From Slow Start, Pelicans Prevail For Late Victory

Sam Perley, NBA.com/Hornets

Rozier, Bridges Get Hot in 2nd Half; Mensah Makes NBA Debut, Charlotte Continues to Foul

Too little first-half scoring and too much fourth-quarter fouling sealed the deal for the Charlotte Hornets in their 112-107 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.

Terry Rozier led the hosts with a game-high 30 points – 24 coming in the second half – and six assists, good for his third 30-point game and 13th 20-point game in 14 appearances this season. Miles Bridges also came on strong at the end, finishing with 27 points – 20 in the second half – and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the campaign.

Following a ho-hum start by both sides, the Pelicans broke a 37-37 tie with a 13-2 second quarter-closing run to enter halftime ahead by 11. Charlotte wound up forcing seven turnovers in the third to take the frame, 37-26, and level the contest at 76 with 12 minutes to play. The score yo-yoed in favor of New Orleans throughout the fourth, though the Hornets navigated through some ongoing foul issues and kept on fighting.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Bridges and Rozier in the final minute made it a 107-104 Pelicans’ lead with 26 seconds left. An intentional foul sent Herb Jones to the line, where he made the first, missed the second, then corralled the offensive rebound to extend the possession. His two ensuing freebies bumped the Pelicans’ advantage to six, essentially ending the game. Having now dropped seven of nine, the Hornets are also 1-7 at home against New Orleans since the start of the 2016-17 season.

“I think they helped, they’re long,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford afterwards, when asked about the team’s 39-point first half, its fewest total in any half this season. “We didn’t do a good job moving the defense, but we made really poor decisions in the paint, too – not playing off two feet, not playing under control, not looking for the kickout 3-point attempts.”

Nick Richards tied a season high with 16 points, while rookie Brandon Miller also had 16 points. Fouling remained a troublesome spot for the Hornets, particularly for their frontcourt. The team was whistled for 24 infractions and was minus-11 in both free throws made (16) and attempted (21). With no Mark Williams or PJ Washington, recent two-way signee Nathan Mensah made his NBA debut, tallying two points and seven rebounds before fouling out in 13 minutes.

Added Clifford on the fouling, “They were in the bonus right away [in the fourth] which hurt us. Nick got his fifth with nine and a half, 10 [minutes to go]. Then obviously, we don’t block out on the free throws, so that gave them the extra possession. The big thing in the fourth was getting into foul trouble early. It’s hard but you’ve got to play with discipline. It’s doable.”

Punctuating the box score for New Orleans was Jonas Valančiūnas, who amassed a season-high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, a game-high 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for his 13th double-double of the year. Zion Williamson (21 points and 11 rebounds) also crossed the 20-point barrier, while CJ McCollum (19) nearly did so, as well.

The Hornets will close out their all-home back-to-back against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, Dec. 16 starting at 7 PM ET at Spectrum Center. Catch all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.