{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
Charlotte 111, Brooklyn 107
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #29 Mark Lindsay, #68 Jacyn Goble
Attendance: 15322

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Somebody was destined to snap a long losing streak on Tuesday night, and it turned out to be the Charlotte Hornets.

The Hornets ended a seven-game skid with a 111-107 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, in a bizarre game that went from terribly sloppy in the first half to exciting down the stretch.

The Hornets led by 17 at halftime, but the Nets exploded for 70 second-half points and got as close as two in the final minute before Marco Belinelli hit four free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory.

Hornets coach Steve Clifford breathed a sigh of relief afterward.

"Winning in this league is hard," Clifford said. "We had good intensity for the most part. Obviously in the second half we struggled to guard them. But we needed a win and that's the most important thing. So hopefully now we can get that feeling back."

The Hornets (24-28) had lost 12 of their previous 15 games, and were returning home after a winless Western trip.

"We needed that game," guard Nicolas Batum said. "We're back home so we had to protect home court and we needed to win that game."

Batum, Belinelli and Kemba Walker each scored 17, on a night when seven Hornets scored in double figures. Jeremy Lamb scored 16, Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 14 each, and Frank Kaminsky had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Hornets shot just 39.2 percent from the field, though, as Walker went 4 of 20 and Kaminsky went 4 of 17.

The Hornets led all but the first minute of the game. They went on a 12-0 run early and led 24-16 after one quarter, then they pushed the lead to 54-37 at halftime. The Nets were horrible offensively, shooting 31.7 percent from the field in the half and committing 11 of their 18 turnovers.

But the Nets finally found their rhythm in the second half. They cut the lead to 81-72 going into the fourth quarter, and eventually they got as close as two at 109-107 on a 3-pointer by Bojan Bogdanovic with 10 seconds left. Belinelli hit two free throws with 6.7 seconds left to push the final margin back to four.

"It feels really, really good to win," Williams said. "You see the difference when we are at home and when we are away. We've got to do a better job on the road, but we really feel comfortable playing here at home in front of our fans. It was a huge win for us tonight against a good team."

The Nets (9-43) have now lost 10 straight and 21 of their last 22.

Bogdanovic led the Nets with 22 points. Brook Lopez scored 20, Joe Harris scored 12, Isaiah Whitehead finished with 11, and Trevor Booker had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

"We dug ourselves a big hole in the first half," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "Again it was kind of a similar story, turnovers hurt us. Then in the second half we turned it around. I thought we made better decisions. We made simpler plays. We shared the ball better and the offense was much better. Our defense is improving. We just have these stretches where we get down 17 on the road, and it's very difficult.

"We climbed back and I was proud of the guys. This group has a lot of fight in them. I'm proud of that. I think it's a group that's still clawing to get a win. We just have to find that breakthrough."

Lopez said: "It was great to see the team fight all the way to the end. We had no quit, and that's a good look."

NOTES: This was the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. The Hornets won three of the four games. ... The Nets were without G Jeremy Lin (strained hamstring), F Quincy Acy (sprained ankle) and G Caris LeVert (knee soreness). ... The Hornets were without G Ramon Sessions (torn lateral meniscus) and C Cody Zeller (quad contusion). Coach Steve Clifford said afterward that he expected Zeller to return for Thursday night's game against Houston. ... With 18 points against Utah on Saturday, Hornets G Kemba Walker moved up to second on the Hornets' all-time scoring list. The all-time leader is Dell Curry. ... The Hornets had a season-high 102 field goal attempts. They made 40, finishing at 39.2 percent from the field. ... The Nets will return home to face Washington on Wednesday. ... The Hornets were starting a four-game home stand. They'll face Houston on Thursday, the LA Clippers on Saturday and Philadelphia on Monday.
Top Game Performances
 
Brooklyn   Charlotte
Bojan Bogdanovic 22 Scoring Nicolas Batum 17
Isaiah Whitehead 7 Assists Frank Kaminsky 5
Trevor Booker 12 Rebounds Frank Kaminsky 11
Bojan Bogdanovic 3 Free Throws Made Marco Belinelli 8
Spencer Dinwiddie 1 Steals Nicolas Batum 4
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 4 Blocks Nicolas Batum 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Brooklyn 107 45.3 12-36 17-21 26 45 8 3 18
Charlotte 111 39.2 7-26 24-29 19 51 7 6 7
Upcoming Games
  • Charlotte will play their next game at home against Houston. The Hornets have a W/L % of .565 after a win and .379 after a loss.
  • Brooklyn will play their next game at home against Washington. The Nets have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .209 after a loss.