Turnovers ignited Charlotte's rally. Despite Durant's scoring, Houston's math struggles and momentum losses sealed their defeat.
Thursday night, on the second night of a back-to-back, the Rockets dropped a 109-99 decision to the Hornets at Toyota Center in a game that followed the same uncomfortable script as the night before. Only this time, Charlotte punished every mistake faster and louder.
Houston actually showed better early intent. Josh Okogie scored the Rockets’ first five points, capped by a one-handed dunk that briefly injected energy into the building. The Rockets pushed pace early, moved the ball better than they had against Boston, and closed the first quarter down by three.
But the cracks showed quickly with turnovers becoming the accelerant. Houston committed 18 turnovers, which Charlotte converted into 27 points, while the Rockets managed just 8 points off Charlotte’s 14 giveaways. That gap alone explains most of the night.
Kevin Durant did everything he could to keep Houston afloat. He finished with 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting, knocked down 3 of 4 from deep, and added five steals, often creating offense out of nothing when the possession stalled. At one point in the third quarter, Durant had scored 31 of Houston’s 74 points, carrying nearly half the offense as Charlotte loaded up.
Jabari Smith Jr. was efficient and did his fair share of carrying the team, finishing with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, but Houston never built sustained rhythm around him. Amen Thompson impacted the game everywhere but the scoreboard, finishing with 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 turnovers- emblematic of Houston’s night: active, aggressive, but loose.
Şengün, coming off a huge performance earlier in the week, was limited to 7 points on 3-of-11 shooting in just under 28 minutes as Charlotte crowded the paint and forced Houston into uncomfortable spacing. The Rockets went 8-of-24 in the paint in the first half and never found a counter once Charlotte took away interior flow.
And then there was the math.
Charlotte made 17 threes on 43 attempts (39.5%). Houston made 8 threes on 24 attempts (33.3%). By the fourth quarter, the Hornets had made just about as many threes as the Rockets had attempted. That gap widened every time Houston settled for isolation while Charlotte turned kick-outs into rhythm shots.
Kon Knueppel led the Hornets with 24 points, continuing to look nothing like a rookie, while LaMelo Ball added 20 points and 5 made threes. Charlotte led by as many as 22, and every Houston push was answered immediately.
Thursday night marked Houston’s second straight game failing to reach 100 points, and another reminder that talent isn’t enough. The Rockets lost because their margin for error collapsed under turnovers, poor shot selection, and losing the math battle.
The Hornets earned their eighth straight win, while the Rockets walked out of Toyota Center with compounded embarrassment.