By Sam Perley, hornets.com
Following a tough loss in Chicago on Friday night, the Hornets bounced back two days later to tally a 106-94 home win over the Trail Blazers on Sunday, Nov. 15, in Charlotte, sending Portland to its fifth-consecutive loss. The Hornets offense was firing on all cylinders particularly in the first two quarters as they sprinted out to a 71-45 halftime lead, which was the first time Charlotte has scored 70-or-more first-half points since Jan. 16, 2010 against the Phoenix Suns. An inspired Nicolas Batum continued his run of dominating performances, tallying a season-high 33 points while Damian Lillard led the way for the Trail Blazers with a team-high 23 points in the loss.
Turning Points The Hornets got off to a hot start in the first quarter, outscoring the Trail Blazers, 35-27, after connecting on 14-of-22 field-goal attempts (63.6 percent), including 6-of-11 from three-point range (54.5 percent). A 15-1 run within the first six minutes of the second quarter gave the Hornets a 22-point advantage, setting the tone for the remainder of the frame as they cruised into halftime with a 71-45 lead over the Trail Blazers. Portland rallied to cut the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter but could never fully overcome the early deficit as the Hornets held on for their third-straight home win.
Inside the Box Score Nicolas Batum led all scorers with a season-high 33 points, which is his highest-scoring performance since scoring a career-high 35 points against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 16, 2012. Batum also tacked on five rebounds and a team-high six assists… Al Jefferson snapped out of his recent scoring slump to finish with 29 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the field… Kemba Walker chipped in 14 points, four rebounds and five assists for the Hornets… Jeremy Lamb scored 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting off the bench for his seventh double-digit scoring performance in nine games this season… Marvin Williams finished with seven points and a team-high eight rebounds for Charlotte… Damian Lillard finished with a team-high 23 points for the Trail Blazers on 9-of-25 shooting from the field (1-of-9 from three-point range) along with a team-high five assists… Allen Crabbe come off the bench to score a career-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field… C.J. McCollum shot just 5-of-18 from the field, finishing with 16 points and four assists… Mason Plumlee finished with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds… Charlotte lost the battle on the boards, 46-37, which included 16 offensive rebounds by the Trail Blazers… The Hornets shot 41-of-83 from the field (49.4 percent) while the Blazers connected on 35-of-89 field-goal attempts (39.3 percent).
Hornets Player of the Game Nicolas Batum had a monstrous performance against his former team, finishing with a season-high 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field (5-of-10 from three-point range) along with five rebounds and a team-high six assists. Batum, who has now recorded a season high in three-consecutive games for Charlotte, has also scored 20-or-more points in three-consecutive games for the first time since Mar. 14-18, 2014.
Trail Blazers Player of the Game Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 23 points on 9-of-25 shooting from the field, although was just 1-of-9 from three-point range. Lillard also chipped in a season-high eight rebounds and a team-high five assists and has now scored 20-or-more points in ten of 11 games this season for Portland.
Game Notes The playing of the French National Anthem along with a moment of silence was observed prior to the game for the victims of the recent terrorists attacks in Paris…Charlotte’s P.J. Hairston (quad) left the game in the second quarter and did not return… Meyers Leonard (shoulder) did not play for Portland… Portland’s Noah Vonleh made his first-career NBA start against his former team… the Hornets snapped a two-game losing streak to the Trail Blazers.
Next Up The Hornets are back on the road to take on the Knicks at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17 in New York City. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
Kemba Walker Postgame Twinterview Following the win against the Postland Trail Blazers, the Hornets Kemba Walker sat down to answer your Twitter questions for a post game “Twinterview”
