CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Hornets' home woes continue as they fell to the Utah Jazz Saturday night, 134-122, marking their eighth loss in their last nine at Spectrum Center.
Utah came out scorching hot, pouring in 82 points in the first half - a franchise record. Lauri Markkanen led the charge with 26 points, connecting on four threes. It was about as bad of a defensive performance as you could have imagined. That total also marked the second-most points the Hornets have allowed in franchise history.
Despite being down by as many as 36, Charlotte's young squad didn't throw in the towel and instead, made things pretty interesting thanks to a strong third quarter where the outscored the Jazz 41-23.
Best of the Night: P.J. Washington & Nick Richards
I can't pick just one guy. Both Washington and Richards had incredible games. P.J. notched a season-high 43 points on 17/22 shooting, including 7/9 from three. Nick Richards did his thing in the paint and cleaned up a few second chance opportunities. He ended the night with a career-high 26 points on 10/11 shooting.
Worst of the Night: Team defense.
There wasn't one aspect of the Hornets' defense that showed up in tonight's game. Almost from the opening tip, Utah had easy shot after easy shot. Credit to the Jazz, they spaced the floor extremely well and had a balanced attack but the Hornets were a step late on just about everything.
Stat of the Night: 508.
With his first three of the night, Miles Bridges passed Glen Rice for 7th on the Hornets' all-time list for most three-pointers made in franchise history.
Highlight of the Night:
Next up: Hornets vs. Knicks, Monday at 7 p.m. EST.
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