The Charlotte Hornets (19-22) defeated the Utah Jazz (18-23) 124-119 in double overtime on Monday afternoon.
What was expected to be a low-scoring contest turned into a back-and-forth showdown between the teams' two best offensive players. Kemba Walker was outstanding for Charlotte, amassing a career-high and franchise-record 52 points, while Utah's Gordon Hayward responded with 36 points of his own. While thes spotlight largely and rightfully shone on that pair of remarkable efforts, Trey Burke also put together a notable performance while pacing the Jazz's bench, including sending the game into the first extra period with a 23-foot three-point jumper with 13 seconds remaining in regulation. Burke's key basket culiminated a 31-22 run by Utah in the fourth quarter to erase what had been a 73-64 deficit entering the period. After Rudy Gobert's dunk off a Hayward assist with seven seconds left in the first overtime tied things up at 108, Walker drained four free throws in the final minute of the sixth quarter to put a cap on what was a record-setting afternoon and send the Hornets to the locker room as weary victors.
Hayward added nine assists, five rebounds, a pair of steals and a block to his team-high scoring total to pace the Jazz. Burke's memorable afternoon consisted of a season-high 25 points, along with three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Gobert put together a second straight impressive double-double, tallying 14 points, hauling in 14 boards, dishing out three assists, and recording a steal and two blocks. Trevor Booker also made a significant contribution off the bench with 12 points, eight rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.
Utah fell to 18-23 and remains in second place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. They head to New York to take on the Knicks on Wednesday.
Walker almost added a triple-double to his spectacular afternoon, supplementing his eye-popping scoring numbers with nine rebounds and eight assists. He also added a pair of thefts. Marvin Williams was a distant second to him in scoring, but still turned in a solid effort with 19 points, seven rebounds, an assist and a steal. Cody Zeller managed 14 points, six rebounds, an assist and a block, while Nicolas Batum was a rebound short of a double-double with 10 points, nine boards, four assists and a steal. Rookie Frank Kaminsky III paced the Charlotte bench with 17 points, seven rebounds and a block.
The Hornets improved to 19-22 but remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They head to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder on Wednesday.
