Field Level Media
Mar 22, 2021
Gordon Hayward scored 27 points and Terry Rozier added 24, 17 of those in the second half, as the visiting Charlotte Hornets held on for a 100-97 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
The Hornets led by 10 points at the half and by five heading into the fourth. San Antonio rallied to tie the game on DeMar DeRozan's three-point play with 1:45 left, but Rozier answered with a 3-pointer that put the Hornets back on top with 1:26 to play.
The Spurs' Derrick White canned two free throws with 22.4 seconds remaining. Rozier then made two free throws with 18.4 seconds left and the lead was back to three.
DeRozan's dunk with 9.2 seconds remaining cut the Charlotte lead to one point again, but Hayward promptly hit two free throws to force San Antonio into a last-second 3-point attempt, which
Patty Mills missed with 6.7 seconds left.
Malik Monk and Bismack Biyombo added 11 points each for the Hornets, who ended a three-game losing streak, and P.J. Washington finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
DeRozan ended up with 28 points for San Antonio. White scored 21, and Mills and Rudy Gay hit for 10 apiece. Jakob Poeltl paced the Spurs with 11 rebounds.
The Hornets led for all but the opening minutes of the game and rolled to a 31-21 lead at the end of the first period. San Antonio cut that advantage to one point with 8:33 left in the second period, but Charlotte responded and led 55-45 at halftime.
Hayward led the Hornets with 13 points in the half, while Washington added 10 points and seven rebounds. White and DeRozan had eight points apiece to lead San Antonio at the break.
Monday's contest was the first of a season-long nine-game homestand over the next two weeks for the Spurs.
--Field Level Media