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The Charlotte Hornets have not won on the second night of a back-to-back yet this season, as the Houston Rockets beat them in an overtime thriller. Nothing was working for Buzz City on both sides of the ball. In fact, they were down by as much as 17 points, including a 14-point deficit in the first quarter.
The difference? The Rockets hit a total of 23 triples. It was easy to hear the disgust in James Borrego as he talked about the keys to their defeat.
“Their one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA and they made them tonight,” Borrego said. “Give them credit, they made shots. We could've done much better defensively. It wasn't just the three's, Wood had 33 tonight. We just have to be more physical.”
The Hornets did erase the deficit in the fourth quarter and made things a little interesting in overtime. They just looked like they ran out of gas. According to Terry Rozier, “it was just one of those nights”.
“We looked dead from the jump. To their credit, they're professionals, but they kinda wanted it more. The team that wants it more, usually wins.”
The Rockets are one of the youngest teams in the league. After beating Charlotte, they are only 3-16. It's definitely a game the Hornets should win on paper, but they may have underestimated their opponents.
On the bright side, LaMelo Ball finished the game with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. That makes it his third triple-double of his career and the second of the season.
Rozier also finished with 31 points. He is starting to find his rhythm again and looks like a reliable scorer for the Hornets yet again, and Charlotte will certainly need that kind of production as they continue their road trip to play the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks
