Brooklyn Nets Resists Charlotte Hornets

The Brooklyn Nets retained the Charlotte Hornets 117-135 on Saturday after a controversial final possession at which Kemba Walker of the Hornets failed a shot and appeared to be the victim of a foul on the part of the of Caris Lavert.

Walker, a pump mimic, seemed to tie Lavert's touch down the body, but there was no whistle at the end of the allotted time.

The Hornets had recovered 19 points to lead to the fourth quarter.

Playmaker D'Angelo Russell finished with 40 points, including a 3-pointer at the last minute.

Russell then hit the leading edge with a 3-pointer and Nic Batum bounced back for the Hornets, giving them possession of the ball seven seconds from the end. Russell had made a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left to make it two points ahead, then Walker was missing a rider giving possession of the Nets.

Walker finished with 32 points. His replacement, Tony Parker, scored 21.

The Nets expanded their lead to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings to 31-30. The Hornets fell to 28-31.

Three who counted

Parker: He was such a great addition to what was a dramatic need position behind Kemba Walker.

Russell: He made exceptional jumps with an exceptional degree of difficulty.

Walker: His first five and a half minutes of the third quarter – when he scored 15 points – were crazy.

observations

▪ Parker returned Friday against the Washington Wizards after missing the last four games before the all-star break with a back injury. Parker was by far the best Hornets player in the first period with 13 points, two rebounds and two assists.

▪ Parker played 15 of the possible 24 minutes in the first period. To put that in context, Parker's 36-year-old goal of signing with the Hornets in July was to handle an average of 15 minutes per game. As recently stated Mitch Kupchak, general manager of the Hornets, Parker has exceeded all Kupchak's expectations when signing.

▪ Hornets coach James Borrego said Wednesday that Parker had reached a point where he could easily play 6-8 minute segments. Earlier this season, he generally did not play more than five minutes without rest. This added to more than 20 minutes or more in a game.

▪ Hornets rookie Miles Bridges started again on Saturday, but did not spend much time on the field in the first period as he made three fouls in his first seven minutes.

To note

▪ Bismack Biyombo continues to replace the Hornets, ahead of Cody Zeller, ahead of Willy Hernangomez and Frank Kaminsky.

▪ The Hornets were playing face-to-face – they played consecutive nights – but they were not as grueling as usual as both games were at home.

▪ The Hornets' next two games are also at home, but represent a significant step forward in the competition against the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets.

They said it

"More defensive toughness, more length, more athleticism." – Borrego said Friday that he had been the victim of the move to rookie Miles Bridges in the starting lineup.

"It's growing, it's growing, what's it, about 40 minutes last night? I can not tell you. He will not play 40 minutes with us. – Borrego takes part in the match with rookie Devonte Graham, who has 42 points, with the G-League Greensboro Swarm on Friday.

Report card

C OFFENSE: It was a struggle in the first half.

C + DEFENSE: They limited the points of the Nets in the painting, but this led to a lot of 3 open points.

B- FRAMING: Staying with Parker in the first period was important to keep the Hornets in this game.