Hornets' Gordon Hayward has perfect first half, scores 30 in win over 76ers

Gordon Hayward was on one from the jump Wednesday night.

Hayward shot a perfect 9-of-9 including 4-for-4 from three-point range in the first half of the Hornets' 109-98 win over the 76ers, pouring in a quick 22 points to jumpstart the Charlotte offense. He finished with 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting and 4-of-4 from deep.

Hayward hit the ground running, scoring the game's first points on a deep 28-foot three in the first minute. He then went quiet for a few minutes before heating up to end the first quarter with 15 points, including a pair of threes in the final two minutes.

The 31-year-old sat for most of the second quarter, but entered with just under five minutes to go. He then went nuclear at the end of the period again, scoring seven points in the final 2:29 without missing a shot as the Hornets carried a 14-point lead into halftime.

Charlotte did not relinquish its lead the rest of the game, and Hayward finished with 30 points, four rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes. Terry Rozier scored 22 on 10-of-18 from the field, and Miles Bridges scored 21 while logging eight rebounds. Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 31 points and six rebounds.

Hayward is now averaging 17 points per game this season on 46.1 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three-point range to go with 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest.