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A solid defensive effort led the Charlotte Hornets (17-43) to a 120-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs (14-45) on Wednesday night.
The team finished the game with 12 blocks and eight steals.
Seven Hornets scored in double figures—LaMelo Ball (28), PJ Washington (22), and Gordon Hayward (16). Mark Williams and Dennis Smith Jr. rounded out the starting five with 12 points and 10 points, respectively.
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Bryce McGowens (11) and newly-acquired Svi Mykhailiuk (12) provided vital points off the bench.
The Hornets were without Terry Rozier, who was out with a right-hand sprain injury. His production was missed early in the game as Charlotte only scored three points in the first four minutes of play, giving up an 11-3 run to the Spurs.
Charlotte started attacking the Squrs in the paint, chipping away their deficit at the free-throw line. A three-pointer by J.T. Thor, with two minutes left in the first quarter, gave the Hornets the lead.
They ended the first quarter tied 32-32.
Early in the second, missed shots began to pile up for the Spurs, and the Hornets pushed away with a more significant lead.
The Hornets’ offense reached a stalemate as the Spurs went ahead,54-52, with less than 2 minutes left in the first half.
Back-to-back threes from Washington and McGowens pushed the Hornets back on top with a 60-57 lead going into halftime.
The two combined for 24 points in the first two quarters. Ball finished one rebound and two assist shy of a 10-point triple-double.
The team had a 10-point advantage after Hayward caught fire with three midrange shots early in the third quarter. But that big lead quickly vanished when the Hornets went scoreless for 2-minutes.
Charlotte led 93 – 86 at the end of the third quarter, but the Spurs rallied to a 1-point deficit with a 103-102 score with six minutes left in the fourth.
The Hornets’ defense held the Spurs scoreless for nearly 3 minutes, going on an 8-0 run. A key block by Williams and a steal by Smith Jr. helped seal the victory.
QCity Metro player of the game: PJ Washington, finished with 22 points on 8 for 14 shooting with 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Worth Mentioning:
Last night, LaMelo Ball (21) became the second youngest player to earn 1,000 points,1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds. He is second only to Lebron James.
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