Charlotte took on the Jazz and immediately changed the tune. The Hornets pulled off the largest road win in franchise history, a 55-point demolition.
It was a masterclass in Salt Lake City.
Last night was an otherworldly event for the Charlotte Hornets, when they toppled the Utah Jazz 150-95.
Last night had also proved just what this team is capable of.
Buckets, active hands on defense, aggressive on the glass, quality ball movement, you name it.
Literally everything was working perfectly for Charlotte.
It led the Jazz in the first quarter by an outrageous score of 45-14, and there wasn’t a quarter all game where it scored less than 30 points.
Not just that, the Hornets drained nine 3-point shots in that first quarter – the most they’ve ever made in one quarter all season.
It’s a positive sign for a team that hurls perimeter shots at a top-5 rate, and makes them at a sixth best 37.9% clip.
Either way, that first quarter should’ve told you all you needed to know on how the game was going to go. Utah is by no means a powerhouse franchise, but it’s not easy to take a team out of a game so early on – especially on its homecourt.
Nine players scored in double digits, including a breakout from Tre Mann, who unbelievably scored 20 points in 12 minutes. Granted, it all occurred in the fourth quarter, but Mann made the most out of his opportunity by chucking up 10 shots, making seven of them, and going 4-6 from 3.
Charlotte also benefitted from having its big men Ryan Kalkbrenner and Grant Williams back from injury. Kalkbrenner was eased into the game as Moussa Diabate had taken on the role of starting center admirable.
Diabate ended up with a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds) and Kalkbrenner just missed the mark, posting 12 points and nine rebounds.
For Williams, every shot he took was from beyond the perimeter, making three out of 10 attempts, along with nine rebounds.
“It was special... it's good to see people get back out there,” head coach Charles Lee said after the game. "In the locker room, for everybody to be excited for Grant (Williams)' first buckets, and be excited for Tre (Mann) and down the line... it's a group that's really starting to come together."
Charlotte will look to carry that momentum on Monday, where it heads to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers, who defeated the Hornets earlier in the season 131-116 on November 22.