North Charlotte Today

A spirited back-and-forth battle swung in favor of the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, resulting in an 86-82 victory over the hometown Kings and a 3-0 showing in the California Classic.

Top Hornet Performer: For the second straight game, Bryce McGowens led the team in scoring, finishing with a game-high 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting, five rebounds, and a steal in just under 28 minutes of action. The Nebraska product also drained a critical wide-open left corner 3-pointer with about a minute left in the fourth, which doubled Charlotte’s lead from three to six.

Hornets Execute in 3rd Quarter, Clutch Time

Down five at the break, Charlotte dominated the third quarter, 24-9, while holding the Kings to a measly 4-of-23 shooting (17.2%) and 0-of-7 from 3-point range. A 12-2 fourth-quarter opening run pulled Sacramento even, but the Hornets soon responded with a pivotal 7-0 stretch midway through the frame, getting five of these points on second-chance opportunities.

3-Point Shooting Heats Up Late

Though they came into the night averaging a California Classic-high 12.5 3-pointers on the fifth-best percentage (30.9%), the ice-cold Hornets went a fruitless 0-of-11 from deep in the first half. Jake Stephens finally broke the long-distance dry spell at the 6:41 mark of the third quarter, leading to a respectable 5-of-16 team clip (31.2%) spanning the final two quarters.

Charlotte Keeps Fouling Down

Prior to the game, one of Head Coach Charles Lee’s biggest points of emphasis for the Hornets was defending without fouling after they triggered a whopping 49 combined whistles in their opening two outings. In this one though, they had a much more manageable 13 infractions and a pivotal 28-5 advantage in free throw attempts (21-of-28; 75.0%).

Quote of the Game:

“The biggest thing was being down five at halftime. It was kind of a road game for our guys. It was the first time we had been down for the whole Summer League, and I wanted to see what they did with their backs against the wall a little bit. They came out in the third quarter and only gave up nine points. I thought our defensive intensity was really good and our end-of-the-game execution when we needed stops at appropriate times and right moments; guys did it.” – Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee

What’s Next?

The Hornets will grab a quick flight following tonight’s win and fly to Las Vegas, NV to begin their second leg of Summer League play. Their opening game will be against New York Knicks on Saturday, July 13 starting at 5 PM ET at Thomas & Mack Center and broadcasted on ESPN2.

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