Recap: Hornets offense erupts in dominant win over Pistons, 141-119

Terry Rozier notched his first triple double as a Hornet while LaMelo Ball scored 30 for the second consecutive game as the Charlotte Hornets took their 15th straight win over the Detroit Pistons, 141-119.

The teams traded baskets early. The Hornets made five of their first six shots, but that was matched by the Pistons making seven of their first 11 shots thanks in part to sloppy basketball from the Hornets. After a Hornets timeout, the game turned into a high school pickup game. Wild shots. Lots of contact that probably should’ve been called. Quick jumpers. No defensive organization. The lot of it. The Hornets came out of the madness ahead, and then welcomed Montrezl Harrell into the game. He blocked a shot about two seconds into his debut then threw down his first dunk a few possessions later. Harrell ended up with three dunks in the quarter to complement LaMelo Ball’s 11 points as the Hornets led by seven after one.

After five quick points from Saddiq Bey, the Hornets reeled off 12 straight points as the Pistons struggled to contain the Hornets in transition. The Hornets let up a little bit and let the Pistons score a few baskets, but they quickly went on another big offensive sprint. Terry Rozier scored 11 straight in a stretch as the Hornets hit 70 points by the 2:58 mark of the second quarter. The Hornets ended up with 43 points in a near perfect quarter to give them a franchise record 79 first half points. They led by 24 at the break.

The Hornets came out of the half with the same energy they entered it with and scored 11 really quick points, but they seemed to let their guard down once they hit the 90 point mark. They let up defensively and forced up a few really bad 3-point attempts. The Pistons scored eight straight in the stretch, but Ball answered with back-to-back 3-pointers as the Hornets quickly restored their lead. They hit the 100 point mark at the 4:25 mark of the third and led 110-87 heading into the fourth.

The Hornets did a good job eliminating all doubt coming out of the fourth. Miles Bridges finished some acrobatic layups and Montrezl Harrell turned a couple off offensive rebounds as the Hornets put the game out of reach. The fourth quarter was for numbers. Bridges got himself to 25 points, Ball hit the 30-point threshold, and Terry Rozier notched his first triple double as a Hornet (second of his career).

It was a perfect bounce back for the Hornets. They shot 56% from the field and 43% from three. The offense was decisive and efficient. Montrezl Harrell’s arrival was a clear jolt of energy to the team, and his energy and interior presence unlocked a lot of the swagger we saw the Hornets play with earlier in the season. He tallied 15 points and six rebounds in his debut.

Rozier finished with 25 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. Ball had 31 points, 12 assists, and four steals. Miles Bridges had 25 points of his own. PJ Washington played a very strong game off the bench with 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

The Hornets will try to carry this momentum back to Spectrum Center where they’ll take on one of the hottest teams in the league in the Memphis Grizzlies.