The Charlotte Hornets visited the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday in a battle of surging teams. Both squads won three straight heading into the contest and were out to extend their steady form.
Charlotte played its third game without second-leading scorer Brandon Miller, who is out indefinitely due to a torn ligament in his right wrist, and struggled mightily on offense in the opening half, buried 78-48 at the break and could not recover from there to slump to the 132-120 defeat.
Luke Kennard came off the bench and jolted things for the Grizzlies, scoring 18 of his 23 points in the opening half after going 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Desmond Bane led the scoring for the hosts Grizzlies, finishing with 24 points, with Jaren Jackson Jr. adding 22 of his own. Ja Morant, meanwhile, had a double-double of 16 points and 13 assists.
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For Charlotte, it was center Mark Williams who top-scored with a career-high 38 points. He also had nine rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes. LaMelo Ball had 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists, with Miles Bridges scoring 17 points.
Charlotte Hornets vs Memphis Grizzlies Player Stats and Box Score
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Charlotte Hornets vs Memphis Grizzlies Game Summary
The game got off to a competitive start, with the teams fighting to a 16-14 count, and the Grizzlies slightly on top, in the first six minutes of the opening quarter. Memphis then went on a 22-11 run from there to build a 13-point cushion, 38-25, at the end of the first 12 minutes.
In the second quarter, the Grizzlies continued to pour it on, stretching their lead to 20 points at 56-36 at the 6:25 mark of the frame. Luke Kennard, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane connived to extend their lead some more, eventually settling for a 30-point advantage, 78-48, at the halftime break.
With the game pretty much decided, Memphis kept itself in a safe distance in the remaining two quarters. It held a 106-84 lead at the end of the third canto and wrapped up things with a score of 132-120.
The win was the fourth straight for the Grizzlies, who are now sport a 29-15 record, third in the Western Conference. The Charlotte Hornets, meanwhile, saw its three-game winning streak end and dropped to 11-29 for the season.
The teams have one more game to play against each other, which will take place in Charlotte on April 8.
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