Hornets at Nets
The Charlotte Hornets recovered from a brutal start to record an epic
victory and attempt to follow up the performance when they visit the
Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. Charlotte scored only seven first-quarter
points and trailed by as many as 23 points Monday before rallying for
an unlikely 91-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Hornets were 3-of-21 shooting and committed five turnovers in the opening quarter against San Antonio before rebounding to win for the 16th time in the past 20 games. Charlotte is in sixth place in the Eastern Conference but just a half-game behind the three teams tied for third — the Miami Heat, the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics. The Nets have lost six of their last seven games and are closing out a dismal season. Shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic is averaging 29.7 points during the past three games while taking advantage of increased playing time created by the contract buyout of Joe Johnson in late February.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (40-30): Charlotte is beginning a pivotal four-game road trip in terms of playoff positioning and will start it with momentum after the stunning comeback against the Spurs. Backup guard Jeremy Lin scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead jumper with 48 seconds remaining. "We just turned it up," Lin told reporters. "We just played hard. I'm so thankful to God because I've been struggling so much. We lost one the other night (to Denver) we felt like we shouldn't have lost, so to come out here and get this win is a huge boost for us."
ABOUT THE NETS (19-50): Rookie swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson could return Tuesday after missing 50 games because of a fractured right ankle. Hollis-Jefferson earned a starting job with his strong early-season play and was averaging 5.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in 19 games (14 starts) prior to suffering the ankle injury during a practice Dec. 5. "I mean, for any basketball player who loves the game, who is passionate about it, it's frustrating," Hollis-Jefferson told reporters Monday. "They can lie and say it's not. Not being out there for anyone is tough, but you've got to understand it's a process. A lot of players go through it, but you've got to understand to reach greatness you've got to go through a struggle sometimes."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Hornets have won in their last two visits to Brooklyn after dropping their previous six.
2. Nets PF Thaddeus Young had 24 points and nine rebounds in Sunday's loss to Detroit to narrowly miss his fourth straight double-double.
3. Charlotte backup C Al Jefferson was just 1-of-9 shooting against the Spurs and has scored 10 or fewer points in five of the past six games.