The Charlotte Hornets finally snapped their five-game losing streak after beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 118-108, thanks in large part to a historic night from Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Hornets were 0-4 on their West Coast road trip heading to Memphis. The main reason for a bulk of those losses was their inability to close teams out in the fourth quarter. They were able to fix that against Memphis, and a ton credit should go to Kelly Oubre Jr.
Oubre put up 37 points off the bench and did it with pure efficiency, including a nearly perfect 7-of-9 from 3-point range. It's also the second straight game the Hornets broke a record.
Malik Monk previously held the record for most points off the bench for the Hornets with 36, but Kelly had other plans. He looked loose all game long and hit timely shots to ensure Charlotte's victory. Remember, Oubre was a starter last season with the Golden State Warriors and early on in the season for the Hornets while Terry Rozier was nursing his ankle injuries. However, it didn't shake his confidence.
“Gotta be like water,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said, referencing legendary actor Bruce Lee. “Try to form and adapt to any situation I'm thrown in. Keep an optimistic positive outlook in whatever situation that this game could bring because it's a beautiful game and I just love to play basketball. At the end of the day, I just always have to stay ready and I know what I bring to the table. That's to be very versatile in what ever the team or coach needs.”
Oubre picked up the slack for what was an off night for most of the starters, with the exception of Gordon Hayward. Hayward finished with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in the tightly contested game. Along with Oubre, Hayward found himself hitting timely buckets and willing his way to the line to close out this win. Both guys have been in the league a little while and knew they couldn't let their team head home with no wins from the road trip.
Thankfully the duo was able to propel the Hornets to a much needed win.
LaMelo Ball broke the record for the youngest player in NBA history with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss against the Los Lakers. He struggled to shoot the ball against the Grizzlies, finishing with just 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field. Still, he flirted with a second straight triple-double after chipping in nine rebounds and six assists.
Next up for the Hornets is a matchup against Kemba Walker and the New York Knicks, which should be an exciting matchup as Kemba returns to the place he once called home.