The Charlotte Hornets cut a 36-point halftime lead to single digits before falling to the Utah Jazz, 134-122, despite career highs from PJ Washington and Nick Richards.
This game began with many of the same defensive issues that existed on Friday night in the forefront. Thirteen of the first seventeen shots and seven of the first ten 3-point tries were made by the Jazz. There was no resistance on the floor at any level. JT Thor was hitting mid-range jumpers and other things with the Hornets in the meanwhile. The Hornets were behind 47-24 after one.
Factoring in Friday night’s loss to the Rockets, the Hornets have given up 130 points in three quarters of basketball. Truly an insane statistic.We had this candidature for the dunk of the year in the second quarter. Not for the Hornets alone, but for the entire league.
The Hornets continued to blow scores away on defence, both in the paint and at the 3-point line, despite receiving a nice highlight. Utah took full advantage of the uncontested looks that resulted from any assistance defence. The easy looks Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton received early on let them both go bonkers. The Hornets were down at the half, 82-47.
For those keeping score at home, the Hornets surrendered 165 points during that four-quarter stretch. Once more, utterly ridiculous.However, the second half was superior. It was, dare I say, good. In the opening minutes of the third quarter, the teams exchanged baskets, with the Hornets holding onto their deficit of more than thirty points. To their credit, the Hornets persisted in their efforts. A string of Nick Richards dunks and Miles Bridges’ quick return to intercept a pass on a Jazz fast break set up a Hornets run. For a little while, the Jazz answered, but the Hornets
