Nets Cruise Past Hornets 124-90 in Preseason Opener

The Brooklyn Nets opened the preseason with a strong performance Tuesday night, pulling away from the Charlotte Hornets for a 124-90 victory.

Brooklyn came out hot from three-point range and carried that shooting into the second half, finishing the game with 20 made threes. The Nets led 56-52 at halftime before taking control after the break, outscoring Charlotte 68-38 over the final two quarters.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 16 points, while Julius Randle added 13. Nolan Traore finished with 10 points, Drake Powell scored nine, and Day’Ron Sharpe had eight points and seven rebounds.

Porter Jr. got going early, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. He knocked down a pair of threes during the opening period, including one off a pass from Randle, before Randle returned the favor with a three assisted by Porter Jr.

The Nets started 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and finished the first quarter with a 33-31 lead. They also moved the ball well, recording eight assists on 11 made field goals in the opening quarter.

Randle took over for a stretch in the second quarter. He scored seven straight Brooklyn points, knocking down a three, finishing a fast-break layup, and throwing down a dunk after coming up with a steal.

That helped the Nets turn a 36-33 deficit into a 40-36 lead.

Brooklyn later put together an 11-0 run. Porter Jr. hit another three, while Sharpe finished a dunk off a nice pass from Egor Dëmin to push the lead to 51-39.

Dëmin started at point guard and finished with five assists. Keon Ellis also started and connected on a three-pointer during Brooklyn's strong opening quarter.

Sharpe gave the Nets a steady presence inside throughout his time on the floor. He scored on a pick-and-roll finish in the first quarter and added another basket in the second, while also collecting seven rebounds.

The Nets continued to spread the minutes around in the second half, with Chaney Johnson providing an early spark with two dunks and Ben Saraf adding a layup before Terance Mann knocked down a three.

Traore entered midway through the third quarter and quickly made an impact. He scored on a floater, later added another floater plus the foul, and finished with 10 points.

Brooklyn started the third quarter with a 9-0 run and never gave Charlotte much of a chance to get back into the game. Mann hit another three later in the quarter, while Noah Clowney added a fast-break layup.

Josh Minott and Danny Wolf also got involved as the quarter went on. Wolf connected on a corner three before finding Minott for a fast-break dunk, giving Brooklyn a 92-72 lead heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was more of the same.

Saraf and Clowney each hit threes early in the period, while Powell, Grant Nelson, Traore, Wolf and Tyler Bilodeau all got on the scoreboard as the Nets continued to build their lead.

Powell had a strong showing off the bench with nine points, while Wolf finished with eight. Bilodeau scored five points late in the fourth, including a three-pointer.

Charlotte was led by Liam McNeeley, who finished with 14 points, while Naz Reid and Grayson Allen each scored 13.

The Nets will now turn their attention to Thursday night's preseason matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte will return to action Sunday at 7 p.m. against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Nets and Hornets will meet again in the regular season on Wednesday, October 21, when Charlotte travels to Brooklyn for a 7:30 p.m. matchup.