Hornets 126, Suns 92
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Guard Kemba Walker scored 26 points in just three quarters of action, and the Charlotte Hornets extended the Phoenix Suns' road losing streak to 16 straight with an easy 126-92 victory on Tuesday night.
The Hornets took care of business quickly, racing to a 21-6 lead in the first seven minutes and going on to lead by as many as 27 in the first half. They pushed the lead all the way up to 43 in the second half.
Charlotte (31-28) has now won seven of its last nine.
The Suns (15-45) have now lost 14 of their last 15 overall. They are 3-29 since Dec. 20.
Walker bounced back after going 3-for-15 from the field in an 87-76 loss at Atlanta on Sunday. He scored 14 in the first quarter to set the tone, and wound up going 9-of-16 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, with three 3-pointers. He also had nine assists and six rebounds.
The Hornets also got 19 points off the bench from center Al Jefferson, and 15 points each from guards Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lamb.
Forward Alex Len led the Suns with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and forward Mirza Teletovic scored 17. The Suns also got 13 from guard Devin Booker, 11 from guard John Jenkins, and 10 from guard Archie Goodwin.
The Hornets led 35-18 after one quarter, 68-42 at halftime and 98-61 after three quarters. The biggest lead came at 115-72.
NOTES: The Suns beat the Hornets 111-102 in Phoenix on Jan. 6 and had beaten the Hornets seven times in the previous eight games. ... The Hornets were starting a stretch where they'll play eight of nine games at home. They were 4-2 on a recent road trip that ended with an 87-76 loss at Atlanta on Sunday. ... The Suns were opening a four-game Southern swing. They snapped a 13-game losing streak by beating Memphis 111-106 at home on Saturday. ... The Suns' win over Memphis gave interim coach Earl Watson his first NBA win. Watson took over on Feb. 1 after Jeff Hornacek was fired. ... The Suns' road losing streak is the second-longest in franchise history. The 1973-74 team lost 18 straight road games. ... G Courtney Lee made his Hornets' home debut Tuesday night after being acquired from Memphis on Feb. 16. He averaged 7.3 points in his first four games with the team. ... The Hornets were without C Spencer Hawes (lower back) for the sixth straight game. ... The Hornets signed G Jorge Gutierrez to a second 10-day contract on Tuesday. Gutierrez has appeared in only one game. ... The Hornets will play at Philadelphia on Wednesday, and the Suns will play at Miami on Thursday.