Terry Rozier scored 40 points but that wasn’t enough for Hornets in 2OT at Hawks
Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier scored a career-high 40 points, but the Hornets fell to the Hawks in double-overtime, 143-138, at State Farm Arena.
The Hornets’ Caleb Martin fouled the Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter on a corner 3-pointer with 13.3 seconds left. Hunter made all three free throws for a 141-138 lead after Rozier had tied the game on 3-pointer with 24 seconds left.
Rozier missed a 3-point attempt on Charlotte’s last possession, the Hawks grabbed the rebound, and Devonte Graham was forced to foul in an attempt to get back the ball. Cam Reddish made two free throws for the final margin.
Rozier’s previous high was 35 points, scored earlier this season. He finished 15-of-26 from the field, including making eight 3s.
Nice Buzz
Rozier has been on one heck of a hot streak. He had 15 first-quarter points, making his first three 3-point attempts. That followed a two-game stretch when Rozier made 11 of his 18 attempts from 3.
Hornets coach James Borrego said before the game that he thinks Rozier is becoming one of the top catch-and-shoot threats in the NBA.
Bee Stings
NBA players can be so gifted that there are nights there is no stopping them from scoring. But, wow, did it look easy Monday for former Wake Forest star John Collins (28 points), who didn’t miss a shot (10-of-10) in this game’s first three quarters.
That the Hawks shot 60 percent from the field over those first three quarters and it felt like a setback for a Hornets team that has progressed defensively the past month.
Building Blocks
Caleb Martin scored a career-high 23 points, becoming the first undrafted player to reach 20 points in a game for the Hornets in eight seasons.
General manager Mitch Kupchak signing Caleb, after drafting twin brother Cody in the second round, demonstrates how much attention he has given to player acquisition outside the first round. Jalen McDaniels, taken late in the second round, is now the first player off the bench for the Hornets every game.
Beyond the Numbers
The center situation has been the most fluid of late in the Hornets rotation, and it took another turn Monday. Borrego said pregame he would start Cody Zeller and use Bismack Biyombo as the backup. That’s a deviation from the recent seven-game pattern, where Zeller or Biyombo started in three-game segments, and Willy Hernangomez was the backup.
Borrego indicated Zeller starting and Biyombo as the backup would likely last at least five games, but that is all subject to change based on performance. Bottom line, with Biyombo and Hernangomez both free agents in July, the agenda appears to be exploring all options in various combinations before any re-signing decisions at that position.
This story was originally published March 9, 2020 at 10:41 PM.
