Tonight’s game stats shatter what I’ve been saying in order for us to win games. We didn’t out-rebound (45-44), we didn’t have the better FG% (43.7 vs 41.7), but none of that mattered tonight as we came away with a 96-87 victory. We finally held a team under 90 points and Al finally started to show a little of what last season looked like in the post. He finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. Those numbers sound impressive, but most of the scoring came in the 2nd half, which has been desperately needed in order to close out games.
It was not all butterflies and flowers, however as up to the half, we were down 5 points and there were tons of point-blank misses. Lucky for the Hornets, we had a red-hot 33-point 3rd quarter and we closed out the game in the 4th, without the need for a buzzer beater to win. The only shot that was a buzzer beater of sorts was the last one, sunk by Kemba Walker, giving fans the 95th and 96th point to get 50% off Papa John’s pizza.
It sure is a lot more fun to write about this team when they are winning. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was back in the lineup tonight, coming off of the bench though. Some felt he should have played more than the 19 minutes that he got, but I can fully understand easing him back into the starting lineup. 19 minutes tonight, and I’m sure there will be a check on that stress reaction to be sure he’s still 100%. He will be called upon much more as the season wears on, so a healthy MKG is needed from here on out. He gave the team 9 points on 50% shooting from the floor and 6 rebounds. I’ll take that any day. Look for those numbers to climb as the rust rapidly falls off of his game and his minutes increase.
I’m keeping this recap brief as it is growing late. There wasn’t a ton to talk about tonight other than my mention that we played the opposite of how most of our games have been going. We started off slow and sluggish (probably due to the 5 days off), and then we had a hot 3rd and closed solid in the 4th. Last season, many of our wins came from a strong offensive start and a strong defensive finish. Perhaps we are on our way to being that again. I certainly hope so. If we are, I believe we’re getting on that path a little earlier this year than we did last year. The best part of it all is that the entire roster will be available for play in 3 more games. Jeffery Taylor’s suspension will end and all 15 on the roster will be available for the game next Wednesday against the Suns. I can’t wait to see what that looks like. In the meantime, let’s focus on the next game against the Grizzlies on Friday. After that win, we can officially say we are on a win streak. Stay focused guys, and play to your full potential.
As always:
Let’s Go Hornets!
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