Utah Jazz rally delivers seventh straight Charlotte Hornets loss

Joe Johnson came off the Utah Jazz bench to score 18 points, including a 3-pointer with a minute left, to beat the Charlotte Hornets 105-98.

This was the Hornets’ seventh consecutive loss, dropping them to 23-28. The Hornets haven’t won in Salt Lake City since 2006.

Gordon Hayward led the Jazz (32-19) in scoring with 33 points. The Hornets got a strong game from Marvin Williams, with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Six Hornets scored in double figures.

Saturday’s game was the Hornets debut of center Miles Plumlee, who finished with four points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes. Plumlee was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Hornets Thursday.

The Hornets come home to play the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday.

Three who mattered

Hayward: The one who got away, when the Jazz matched that Charlotte offer sheet.

Frank Kaminsky: He followed up a career-high 24 points versus the Golden State Warriors with another strong scoring game.

George Hill: For the most part, he outplayed Kemba Walker.

Observations

▪  Walker played Saturday after missing practice Friday with an illness. The Hornets were already shorthanded at point guard after Ramon Sessions was diagnosed Friday with a torn meniscus in his left knee.

▪  Hornets coach Steve Clifford started Frank Kaminsky, primarily a power forward, at center Saturday. Center Cody Zeller missed his sixth consecutive game with a quad contusion.

▪  Sessions said at Saturday-morning shootaround that it’s not automatic he will need knee surgery. He will be re-evaluated in Charlotte.

▪  Plumlee was cleared to play against the Jazz after Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes completed their physicals with the Milwaukee Bucks. Though he has not practiced yet with the Hornets, Clifford hoped to play Plumlee about seven minutes in each half against Utah.

▪  The referees missed an obvious shot-clock violation on the Jazz, but reviewed the play at the end of the first half and deducted three points from Utah’s score.

Worth mentioning

▪  Former Duke star Rodney Hood missed this game for the Jazz with a knee bruise and sprain.

▪  Kaminsky made his first five shots, including two 3-pointers that forced Jazz center Rudy Gobert to chase him out of the lane.

▪  Because of foul trouble for Kaminsky, Plumlee played 11 minutes of the first half.

Report card

B+ OFFENSE: They had a big scoring night from 3-point range.

B DEFENSE: The defense was on point much of the second half.

B COACHING: Steve Clifford was juggling a lineup full of injuries and illnesses.

This story was originally published February 4, 2017 at 11:35 PM with the headline "Utah Jazz rally delivers seventh straight Charlotte Hornets loss."