Here’s to hoping the Charlotte Hornets can leave their now 10-game losing streak in the year of 2023. On Friday night, they had absolutely no answers for the Phoenix Suns and their reunited superstar trio in a 133-119 road loss.
Terry Rozier brushed off a tough five-game stretch, erupting for a near career-high 42 points on 14-of-22 shooting – season-high-tying 8-of-12 from 3-point range – and eight assists. Brandon Miller added 20 points and drained a career-high 6-of-10 from deep, marking the seventh time in franchise history that two players have totaled at least six 3-pointers in the same game.
Though the Hornets’ offense shot 49% and canned 12-of-21 3-point attempts in the first half, their defense lagged way behind, providing Phoenix with a 68-58 halftime lead. Like Thursday night in Los Angeles, Charlotte got pushed around a little in the third quarter and fell behind by 20 before regrouping to enter the fourth trailing, 103-89. Rozier, who scored 25 in the second half, and the Hornets kept pushing, but never got any closer than 10 against the red-hot Suns.
Statistically, this was one of Charlotte’s best offensive outputs of the season – 47.8% shooting, a season-high and near franchise-record 23-of-46 from 3-point range (50.0%) and 32 assists to a season-low six turnovers. Unfortunately, the Suns were just that much better, registering new campaign bests in field-goal (62.2%) and 3-point percentage (60%, 18-of-30), to go along with a 20-of-24 clip from inside the paint (83.3%).
“[Phoenix] is a good offensive team, but they were great tonight,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford afterwards. “I told [our guys], with that effort, that approach, really not a good second half last night, getting in here late, guys playing big minutes, I was proud of them. Those guys were gassed in the huddles, being positive with each other. We gave ourselves a chance.”
Cody Martin (13), PJ Washington (13), Miles Bridges (11), and Nick Smith Jr. (10) also scored in double figures for the Hornets, who dropped their sixth consecutive head-to-head meeting with Phoenix. For Rozier, he now has five career 40-point showings with the franchise, which moves him past Gerald Wallace for sole possession of third place on the team’s all-time leaderboard.
Devin Booker had 35 points on 10-of-18 shooting and seven assists to lead Phoenix to back-to-back victories for the first time in over a month. Jusuf Nurkić (24 points and a game-high 15 rebounds) and Kevin Durant (21 points and 11 assists) both double-doubled, while Eric Gordon cashed in 21 points off the bench, all of which came on 3-pointers (7-of-12). This was only the Suns’ third game this season with Booker, Durant, and Bradley Beal (six points and seven assists in 30 minutes) all available and the first such win.
Added Clifford, “We doubled Kevin in the post a lot. They were great, their execution out of it. He’s obviously played against so many double teams and he moved the ball well out of them. They had great ball movement and some guys that shot the ball [well] – obviously Devin Booker, Eric Gordon, Grayson [Allen] made some. They’re a good shooting team and they made shots tonight.”
The Hornets will ring in the New Year against the reigning NBA Champion Denver Nuggets on Monday, Jan. 1, beginning at 9 PM ET. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.