CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kemba Walker sank his first jumper a little more than a minute into his Charlotte Hornets' game against the Utah Jazz on Monday afternoon.

He stepped back for a 3-pointer a minute later, and hit that, too.

Two more 3-pointers followed quickly, and the Charlotte Hornets guard realized he might be on the verge of a pretty good game.

Teammate Marvin Williams even joked that he would probably score 50.

"I didn't pay no attention, actually, until he told me again after the game," Walker admitted. "He said, 'I told you.'"

When he was done, Walker had scored a career- and franchise-high 52 points on 16-of-34 shooting, helping his Charlotte Hornets to a 124-119 double-overtime victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday afternoon.

Walker's 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the first quarter set the tone for how he would perform for the game, and left the Jazz on their heels when defending him.

"He's a quick, shifty, little guy and he can get into the paint pretty easily, so we were trying to stay off him a certain length," Jazz guard Gordon Hayward said. "And he just buried the three-ball."

Walker hit 6 of 11 from 3-point range, including a difference-making 3-pointer with 2:53 remaining in the second overtime that pushed Charlotte's lead to 116-110. Both Walker and Hornets center Cody Zeller had four free throws apiece in the final 36.3 seconds to fend off a 3-pointer from Utah guard Trey Burke and secure the triumph.

Walker also had eight assists and nine rebounds in helping his Hornets win for just the second time in the last 11 games.

It wasn't the best game he's ever played, though, according to Walker.

"The most points I've ever scored? Yes. The best game? No," he said. "I definitely think I've had better games, more complete games on both ends of the floor. Offensively I was great, but I could have been a lot better on defense."

Part of the hesitation in reveling in the NBA's fourth 50-point performance of the season, might come in how the Hornets had to claw for the win that pushed them to 19-22. They led by as many as 15 before the Jazz outscored Charlotte 31-22 in the fourth quarter -- thanks in large part to 10 points from forward Trevor Booker -- to force overtime.

Early miscues in the first overtime had the Hornets down by four quickly, before a jumper and free throws from Walker had them up 108-103 with 22.5 left.

But Joe Ingles hit a 3-pointer, and Rudy Gobert slammed in a dunk with 7.4 seconds left in the first overtime to force the second extra period.

Charlotte never trailed in the second overtime, but the Jazz also cut the lead to 118-117 with 30.6 seconds left on Burke's 3-pointer before free throws sealed the victory.

"We fought hard for the win," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "We made a lot of mistakes at the end, but we also were down in the first overtime by [four], and we could have given in."

Utah's Hayward began the game trying his best to keep pace with Walker offensively, totaling 17 points in the first quarter en route to 36 points on 12-of-24 shooting.

Walker had 17 points in the two overtime periods combined, though, to ensure the Hornets victory.

"He was unbelievable," Zeller said. "I've been watching him for three years, and tonight was one of the best nights I have seen him have. That guy is one of the best."

NOTES: Utah F Trevor Booker was cleared to play Monday after missing one game with a concussion. Booker suffered the head injury in Thursday's game against Sacramento. "He's a big part of who we are," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "Not just what he does on the court, but just his presence and how he does it, is a big part of our team's identity." ... Hornets G Jeremy Lamb missed his third game with a right great toe sprain. Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said he's hopeful Lamb can return Wednesday against Oklahoma City. ... Clifford said he won't change the starting lineup but will experiment with new substitution patterns in an effort to jumpstart his team that had lost nine of 10 games prior to Monday's win. His main concern is defense. "You've got to do something defensively so that we can play better," Clifford said. ... Snyder said that the 2 p.m. ET tipoff felt like an "NCAA tournament game," but also was grateful for the opportunity to play on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. "It's an important day," Snyder said. "To be able to play on this day is something that gives you thought." ... Clifford said C Al Jefferson is progressing with rehab after right knee surgery Dec. 31 to repair torn meniscus, and he is hopeful for Jefferson's return after the All-Star break. "HIs knee is a lot stronger than it was before," Clifford said. "I think that was a big part of his whole season - he just hasn't been right with his knee. Now, what we're hoping for is that with this time to rehab here, he'll come back and give us a big push after the All-Star break."