Gordon Hayward continues shining as Hornets extend win streak to four games
From the moment he was signed, Gordon Hayward and the Hornets came under scrutiny. Hayward was seen as a complementary piece and Charlotte paid him like a superstar. While it is just eleven games into that four-year contract, the Hornets and Hayward are proving why they may have been right all along.
For the second time this season, Hayward poured in at least 25 points in a half, scoring 28 points in the first half of Monday’s game against the Knicks. The figure was a career-high for points in a half for Hayward, the second most points in a half by any Hornet dating back to 1996 and was the catalyst for a fast start for Charlotte as they won going away, 109-88.
“I thought he was fantastic tonight,” head coach James Borrego said. “…this is why we brought Gordon Hayward here, for games like this especially. He set the tone for us, he came out aggressive. He understands the significance of each game, every game counts the same equally in this league. Tonight he came out, he set the tone and he was aggressive from the start. He understood that we had to get off to a good start and New York was on a back to back, we wanted to be the aggressors early and he set the tone for us.”
Hayward finished with 34 points in the win, 15 of those coming in the second quarter. It was Hayward’s fifth game with at least 26 points and his second 30-point game in under a week, matching his season totals with the Celtics in both categories last year.
“It’s fun basketball playing like this,” Hayward said. “When the ball is moving, you’re getting open shots, we’re getting easy buckets, it’s just fun. Everyone’s involved. It’s hard to guard, I think it’s it makes it really hard to guard and I think we’re we are starting to kind of figure each other out a little bit.
“I think, like I said, there’s still room to grow here and I think that should be something that we’re focused on as far as trying to get better with each game and build on our wins and improve on our losses,” he added. “But no doubt this is the way that they told me we were going to play. It’s how I like to play basketball. I’ve got some great teammates that can really pass the ball and so it’s been a lot of fun.”
Charlotte’s win on Monday came with relative ease. Barring a first-half run by the Knicks that turned a 17-point deficit into a one-point lead, the Hornets controlled the game. The win was the fourth-straight for Charlotte, moving them over .500 for the first time this season and the first time since Nov. 5, 2019.
“Well the term we keep using around here is resiliency, that’s what I’m seeing out of this group,” Borrego said. “It’s a resilient group, it’s a group that’s committed to each other and they’re unselfish… I love that formula.
“Again Gordon I thought was fantastic there and set the tone. That was a resilient win, going to New Orleans again, a bounce back after a tough start, a resilient win. Then to come in and back it up with the Atlanta win on a back to back was significant for us. Tonight, to me this was a major step for our program, a win like tonight. We didn’t come in here and take anybody lightly, we were professional. The way we started the game, a 10-0 start, showed me our guys were locked in and they’re growing. They’re growing… everybody has taken a step forward this season.”
It was a rare fast start from a Hornets starting unit that has made a habit of falling behind early this season. While it was the offense that started fast, though, it was the defense that put a stranglehold on the Knicks to close the game.
Employing a zone defense most of the night, the Knicks were limited to 39.1% shooting from the field, 24.3% shooting from three and 38 total second-half points.
“I just loved our pride and our physicality, the communication and just the buying in defensively more than anything… we’re taking pride in it,” Borrego said. “To hold a team to 38 points in a half, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, that’s tough to do. Our guys were locked in every possession, we weren’t perfect but our defense is what is sustaining us right now and it’s given us a shot to win every single night. I’m just most proud of their urgency and their physicality on the defensive end.”
During the four-game win streak, the Hornets rank third in the league in defensive rating and second in net rating. In that same span, Hayward is averaging 29.3 points while shooting 55.4% from the field and 50% from 3-point territory.
It’s a bigger role for Hayward than he’s had since perhaps his days at Butler University, particularly as a scorer. Regardless of his role, though, Hayward’s focus on winning remains the same.
“Ultimately for me, it’s about trying to help us win games,” he said. “I feel like we’ve done a good job of that here the last four [games]. But certainly, it’s been a lot of fun playing with my teammates, playing under this coaching staff – I’m having a great time. As long as we keep doing our jobs, we play hard every night, the wins and losses I think will take care of themselves.
“We got to try to keep growing as a team. I think we have a lot of work to still do, that’s definitely obvious, but it certainly has been fun so far.”
