What a wild ride of a game. Our depth really paid off in this game and our big name trade showed us what he was made of on this Wednesday in Charlotte. Nicolas Batum finished with 24 points and 5 rebounds. Kemba Walker shot an abysmal 2 for 11 and was basically benched late in the game. Al was a non factor as well but, the Jeremys, Lin and Lamb, came up big once again scoring 17 and 14 respectively. Carmelo Anthony couldn’t carry the Knicks by himself with a game high 29 points as the Hornets knocked off the Knicks 95-93 in exciting fashion.
The first unit came out looking both tired and rusty. Shots weren’t falling, the defense was soft and the passes weren’t being made. After a couple of good looks from PJ Hairston and Marvin Williams, the second unit entered the game and brought the Hornets to life. Cody Zeller’s presence on the court is felt everywhere. From rebounding, defense, help defense, and attacking the basket. The Jeremys Lin and Lamb are the heart and soul of what this Hornets team are all about. They brought the Hornets back from a 12 point deficit to tie the game up at 35. Early notes include PJ Hairston’s valiant defensive effort on Carmelo Anthony and holy crap is Kritaps Porzingis an incredible basketball player. Frank Kaminsky’s defense is underrated. I said it. I stand by it. He’s a better on-ball defender than any of our big men(not saying a ton but, I digress) and plays the help side well. I said it in the Bulls recap and I’ll say it here, he closes out on three point shooters incredibly well. He had 3 steals early in the game.
Kemba Walker was abysmal in the first half. Shooting 0-6 and making poor decisions overall. Have to wonder if he’s getting into his own head. The TEAM play of the Hornets lately has completely eliminated his role as a hero-ball player. It seems like that’s been a tough habit to break. Jeremy Lin, on the other hand, hasn’t looked this comfortable running an offense in years. He’s confident like crazy and it shows in both his stats and, the stats of the players that are on the floor with him. What brought the Hornets back to take the lead at the end of the first half you say? Steve Clifford made adjustments. He called timeouts at the right time and subbed very well. Passing, defense and strong shot selection put the Hornets back on the path we’ve begun to see in games early this season. Taking the lead at the half 49-47.
Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Marvin Williams could not get out of their own way in the third. The starters were very out of sync. If not for an absolutely stellar performance by Nic Batum, the Hornets would have been facing a blow-out early. Carmelo Anthony cracked the PJ Hairston code and, despite his best efforts, Anthony blew up the Hornets. Poor defense and shot selection doomed the latter part of the third. The Knicks increased their lead back up to 12 going into the fourth.
Steve Clifford saw the writing on the wall and benched Al, Kemba and Marvin for the majority of the fourth. He literally played a lineup of the hot hands. Lin, Lamb, Batum, Zeller and Hawes(didn’t have the hot hand but, hustled regardless). That lineup would erase yet another 12 point lead and build on a lead of their own. Carmelo Anthony was the lone offensive production for the Knicks. Jeremy Lin and Nic Batum put on a show. With the game on the line Spencer Hawes inbounded the ball to Cody Zeller, who nailed a close shot to put the Hornets up by 2 with 0.6 seconds to go. No one in the building imagined the ball would go to anyone other than Carmelo Anthony on the final possession. Everyone was wrong. The inbound pass came to Porzingis who DRILLED a deep three and put a dagger through the heart of the Hornets. Then, in an incredible turn of events…the shot was waved off. Time had expired while the ball was on his fingertips. THE HORNETS WIN!
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