D'ANGELO RUSSELL DROPS 40, ELEVATORS OVER THE HORNETS, 117-115

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, D'ANGELO! NICE PARTY!!

Sure to say it was a good birthday for D'Angelo Russell, who started his year in Jordan by breaking the heart of his house.

It did not look good for the Nets. They were on the wrong end of a 24/4 extended and eventually fell six with less than three minutes. But then, DLo stepped up and led the Nets to a huge victory. Huge.

It started with a float to bring it to less than four, followed by a midfielder eight feet from the corner. Ice time.

Russell then scored the final 12 points as the Nets continued their run 10-2, allowing them to win a 117-115 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night. Russell finished the game scoring 40 points, seven assists, two interceptions and a blocked shot on his 23rd birthday. Did we mention that?

Here is the end …

It may be the biggest win of the season with the Hornets in Brooklyn in sixth place. The Nets had lost seven out of ten players in the game, but they found a way out with a win.

Russell saved them for a long time. The Hornets edged an 18-point lead in the second quarter and 19 points in the third quarter after the 24-4 overtime, their first advance since 12-11. Kemba Walker was on fire after scoring only four points in the first period.

Instead, he finished the night with 32 points. But this resulted in the final possession. While the Nets were lagging behind and had possession of the ball, Russell's pioneered up to the perimeter line and nailed a three-pointer to give Brooklyn two points with 40 seconds left. make.

Walker was lucky enough to win the match with the stopwatch, but Caris LeVert found a huge block that canceled any idea of ​​a loss. It was terribly close to the fault, but the referees did not call him.

The Nets will now go home in preparation for a three-game home game, starting with the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.

On his own, Russell almost surpassed Brooklyn's three-point total in Wednesday's loss, finishing the night at six with depth. The Nets hit just seven goals that night, but 17 attempts on 43 attempts Saturday.

Joe Harris continued his run in Charlotte with 19 points on 5 out of 7, while Jarrett Allen also played well with 11 points and 11 assists. Although it was a more balanced attack, Ed Davis (10 rebounds) and DeMarre Carroll (10 points) left the bench and provided the spark they so badly needed.

Be the example for all this … This team goes wherever D'Angelo Russell takes them.

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Playoffs race

Friday's loss to the Trail Blazers has only made things harder for the Nets. The Hornets and the Pistons have both won, which put the Hornets to a game of Nets for the six seeded and Pistons 1 ¹/₂ return games.

But at the end of the night …

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DLO

We can no longer say "And he is only 22 years old". Now, as Meek Mill said, "And I'm only 23, look at me! He currently has 522. His buddy Devin Booker is six months younger and 481 points at 3 points.

Russell now has 167 three players on the season, the biggest number on the team. That's 34 seconds of the Nets season record, held by Allen Crabbe, with 21 fewer games.

Whatever it is, 22, 23 – Russell has a bright future ahead of him. You think he's a veteran with everything he's gone through. Happy birthday to him.

"SALUT JOE"

Joe Harris was 19, hitting 3 of the 4 in the same arena where he won the NBA's Three Points Competition just a week ago.

Harris is now shooting 47 percent for the season.

After the match, he said he did not seem to be in the same arena as he was on Saturday night. "Different atmosphere."

For the month of February, Harris averages 17.3 points and even draws 50% of the depth.

HOT BORREGO AFTER THE GAME

Hornets coach James Borrego was not happy with the call of the last match but was not so direct that he risked being fined.

"It's very difficult, it's difficult," said Borrego after the match, "these are the times your guys are fighting, we've gotten to win. I understand it's a difficult game to follow, but it's extremely frustrating for our team. "

He added, "We did not go out with the right urgency, the right focus tonight, but I was proud of our efforts to get back into this game. We fought and we will continue to fight. "

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For a different perspective – and probably not happy – go to At the Hive, our Hornets sister site on SB Nation.

The Nets will face the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, the first of three consecutive home games.