Charlotte Hornets outrun Houston Rockets 125-109 for 7th win in row
It’s been a long, long time since a Charlotte NBA team beat the Houston Rockets.
The Hornets used a 27-8 run at the start of the fourth quarter to build a 20-point lead for a 125-109 victory at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Rockets had won the previous 10 games in this series.
Power forward Marvin Williams got things started with 20 first-half points for the Hornets. Then point guards Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin carried the Hornets home for their seventh victory in a row. The Hornets are now 37-28.
Rockets center Dwight Howard had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Star shooting guard James Harden had a miserable night, shooting 2-of-14 from the field.
Three who mattered
Walker: His pull-up 3-pointer with just under eight minutes left pushed the lead to 18.
Courtney Lee: Solid defense on Harden helped contain the All-Star to 12 points.
Williams: He ignited the first-quarter offense that led to a 19-point first-half lead.
Observations
▪ The Hornets scored 34 points in the first quarter, their third consecutive game with 30-plus points in the first period.
▪ Williams scored 14 first-quarter points, making two 3-pointers. The Rockets didn’t seem particularly interested in guarding Williams beyond the arc.
▪ The Hornets held Harden scoreless in the first quarter on 0-of-6 shooting from the field.
▪ Cody Zeller picked up three first-half fouls, mostly while trying to contain Howard in the post.
▪ Harden committed three first-half fouls.
Worth mentioning
▪ Howard threw up two hook shots from the mid-court line in pre-game warm-ups. Both hit the rim but neither fell through the basket.
▪ Saturday was the Hornets’ 11th sell-out this season.
▪ The Hornets have two more games in this home stand (Dallas and Orlando) before heading to Miami for a Thursday game with the Heat.
Report card
A+ OFFENSE: Exceptional 3-point shooting.
B DEFENSE: They contained Harden, though he did reach double figures in assists.
A COACHING: Did a good job managing minutes at center after Cody Zeller got in first-half foul trouble.
Bonnell: 704-358-5129; Twitter: @rick_bonnell
This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 9:45 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets outrun Houston Rockets 125-109 for 7th win in row."