Rockets too much for cold-shooting Hornets

Field Level Media|published: Mon 23rd December, 21:37 2024

Dec 23, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) gets the ball stripped by Houston Rockets forward Jae’ Sean Tate (8) during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Fred VanVleet scored 20 points, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson added double-doubles and the Houston Rockets cruised to a 114-101 victory over the host Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

VanVleet tallied 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the first half, and his shot-clock buzzer-beater lifted Houston to a 31-point halftime lead. The Rockets led by as many as 34 points en route to winning both halves of a back-to-back and the opening two games of a three-game road trip.

Smith paired 21 points with 11 rebounds while Thompson added 19 points and 11 boards. Cam Whitmore scored 17 off the bench and Alperen Sengun added 16 points and eight rebounds.

The Rockets, who played without Dillon Brooks (ankle) and Tari Eason (leg), controlled the glass, posting a 59-44 rebounding advantage over the Hornets, who've lost 13 of 14 games.

Miles Bridges posted 24 points and eight rebounds and LaMelo Ball added 23 points and eight assists. Ball sparked an 11-0 run with two 3-pointers early in the third quarter to pull the Hornets to within 23 points. Bridges had a four-point play in the fourth quarter, and his free throws with 4:53 left sliced the deficit to 108-89.

Ball finished 5 for 11 from behind the arc.

VanVleet scored eight points during a 14-0 first-quarter run that pushed the Rockets to a 26-10 lead. The Hornets missed 19 of 25 shots from the floor in the opening period, including 10 of 11 from deep, as Houston turned 20 points in the paint into a 31-15 lead entering the second.

The Rockets kept rolling in the second, surging to a 22-point lead following consecutive 3s from Whitmore and Thompson. The Hornets' poor shooting continued through the second, with Charlotte making just one basket following a Ball 3 at the 4:43 mark of the frame.

The Rockets made 9 of 20 3-pointers while securing a 62-31 halftime lead. Houston shot just 7 of 28 from behind the arc in their 114-110 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

Charlotte recorded a season-low point total in the first half but rallied with two 35-point periods in the second half during an extended stretch of garbage time.

Mark Williams paired 12 points with a team-high nine rebounds for Charlotte.

--Field Level Media

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