We really needed a win. I mean, we really, REALLY needed a win. 5 losses were starting to feel like an eternity since our last win. Now granted, beating a team that was 13-23 on the season is not the greatest benchmark for how well we played, but it was a victory, and we se saw some things that were positive. Let me share them with you.
Kemba was on his game last night. Shooting 10-21 for 30 points was a good start. It’s always nice to have that guy who explodes for a lot of points. Kemba also had 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and a block. He did have 3 turnovers, but usually when a player is carrying a team, those turnovers creep up a bit.
I said Kemba was carrying the team. That is true in the sense that he is a captain, and he willed his team to a victory, but he had some help last night in the win. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 17 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and a block. This is the MKG we need every night, and he’s starting to give us numbers like these on a regular basis. I’m so happy for him. Those 17 points came on 7-13 shooting. He couldn’t say that a year ago, so, kudos to coach Mark Price for helping MKG and to MKG himself for all of his hard work.
There was even more help last night. Gary Neal had one of his better night, shooting 5-11, scoring 16 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists. It was a bit of a turn-around night for him. I can only hope that this keeps up because our biggest struggle has been the wings not hitting their shots.
I’m still rolling on the key guys to victory here. Cody Zeller was right there in the mix for helping to win this game. He gave is 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Cody continues to score the basketball and grab rebounds. Hopefully, when Al returns we continue to let players like Cody and MKG score the ball, and the ball continues to move on the floor.
Biyombo and Hairston were the only 2 guys not to score last night. Biz didn’t shoot the ball at all, and was in foul trouble early. Hairston only played 5 minutes, and missed 1 3-pointsr. I’d rather see that 1 miss that 10 misses.
That was a much-needed win as we now head to Boston for a game on Monday. Don’t read deeply into this win as Orlando isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, but with the stretches we have played lately, it is a welcomed win. We still had Cody sitting down the stretch, which I cannot fathom, but we still won. We were subbing offense for defense and defense for offense in the 4th, which is something I haven’t seen Coach Clifford do much of this season, so that was a welcomed improvement. Maybe we will begin to turn a corner. We need to because Monday’s game is definitely a winnable game against the 11-20 Celtics. We need to get in gear and get ready as we face Anthony Davis and the Pelicans on Wednesday in Charlotte, and the Raptors in Toronto on Thursday. Smart and tough play with wings hitting the shots is all we need. We do that and control our turnovers and we should start to right the ship for the season.
I promised to keep everyone updated on our guys on their D-league stint. Jeff Taylor is knocking some rust off with the Austin Spurs. Friday, he was 5-14 from the floor (3-8 from 3) for 13 points, 6 rebounds, and a steal. Last night, he was 7-13 from the floor (1-2 from the 3 point line) & 8-10 from the foul line for 23 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. This is the Jeff Taylor that I have been hoping would emerge. Just imagine a “3 & D” player on the Hornets roster giving us 18-20 points a night to go with what we have now. If you didn’t know, I am a major Jeff Taylor fan, and I really want to see him succeed. I’m hoping bad decisions are behind him, his lesson has been learned, and he can now focus on his basketball career. I’ll do my best to keep everyone up-to-date on Taylor’s progress.
Let’s Go Hornets!
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