Field Level Media
Dec 28, 2018
Veteran Tony Parker scored 17 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, and the host Charlotte Hornets exacted revenge on the Brooklyn Nets with a 100-87 victory on Friday night.
The Hornets led by as many as 20 in the first quarter and never trailed, producing just their second wire-to-wire victory of the season.
Brooklyn got as close as five in the fourth quarter, but then Parker came off the bench and took over the game.
The Nets had pulled out a 134-132 double-overtime victory when the teams met in Brooklyn on Wednesday night, a game in which the Hornets felt they let several chances to win get away.
Charlotte snapped a two-game losing streak. The Nets had been the hottest team in the NBA coming into the game, winners of nine of their previous 10.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 29 points, sinking 7 of 12 3-point attempts. He, too, hit some clutch shots in the fourth. The Hornets also got 19 points from Jeremy Lamb and 14 points and 10 rebounds from Cody Zeller.
D'Angelo Russell led the Nets with 33 points. DeMarre Carroll scored 15 and Shabazz Napier had 11. Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored a career-high 37 against the Hornets on Wednesday night, finished with just three points on 1-of-7 shooting from the floor.
The Hornets took control immediately, scoring the first six points of the game and racing to a 26-6 lead. They led 33-17 after one quarter, with Lamb scoring 15 first-quarter points. The Hornets then led 54-42 at halftime and 73-65 after three quarters.
Brooklyn made things interesting by pulling to within 86-81 with 5:16 to go, but Parker hit a jumper and Walker followed up with a 3-pointer to allow the Hornets to pull away again.
The Hornets will play at Washington on Saturday. The Nets will continue on the road with a game at Milwaukee on Saturday.
--Field Level Media