Hornets vs. Rockets Recap: The good, the bad and the LaMelo Ball
A huge fourth quarter gave Charlotte its second win in as many days as the Hornets picked up a 119-94 victory.
With the two sides tied at 87-87 late in the third quarter, a Malik Monk 3-pointer to close the period kickstarted a 22-1 run by the hosts that blew the game wide open, resulting in the benches being emptied late in the fourth by both sides.
Despite nine lead changes on the night, Charlotte never trailed from the 3:38 mark of the second quarter on. LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward each had 15 first-half points and the Rockets’, who started the game on fire from range, cooled off in the second half while the Hornets kept coming.
Eventually, Charlotte would blow the game open with Ball leading the way with his game-high 24 points. Hayward and Miles Bridges each added 19 and Terry Rozier chipped in 15. Monk added 14 off the bench.
The Good: Malik Monk and Miles Bridges
With Ball moving into the starting lineup, there was a natural hole left in minutes off the bench. Monk has filled that void seamlessly and has taken up the mantle of the energy guard off the bench next to Miles Bridges. While Ball still plays heavy minutes alongside both, Monk and Bridges provided a spark off the bench on Monday, particularly in the second half. The trio of Ball, Bridges and Monk were nearly solely responsible for a 10-0 run between the end of the third and beginning of the fourth that opened up a double-digit lead for Charlotte. From there, the Hornets' lead only grew and Charlotte never looked back. Honorable Mentions: Terry Rozier's catch-and-shoot prowess, Gordon Hayward's first half, Bismack Biyombo's 3rd quarter
The Bad: Turnovers
On a night when the Hornets emptied the bench in the fourth quarter for the second time in as many nights, it's hard to find too many sticking points. The team did commit 14 turnovers with a good chunk of those being the live-ball variety. Houston only turned them into 11 points. Again, it was a small critique on an otherwise terrific night.
The LaMelo Ball: Lights out from three
Ball set yet another rookie record for the Hornets on Monday, tying the franchise mark for 3-pointers from a rookie with seven. He matched his career-high for 3-pointers in the first half with four and quickly surpassed that in the second half. He finished the night with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while shooting 7-of-18 from the field and 7-of-12 from the 3-point line. He did have four turnovers, though all of those came in the first half.
