Hornets ride backcourt to blowout of Rockets / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports Credit Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Terry Rozier scored 27 points as part of a big outing for Charlotte's backcourt as the Hornets blasted the visiting Houston Rockets 123-99 on Monday night.

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Rozier made seven of 12 attempts from 3-point range and backcourt mate LaMelo Ball bagged four 3-pointers on a night when he scored 16 points and dished out seven assists.

The Hornets won their second game in a row, though they were coming off a 2-4 road trip prior to Christmas.

Charlotte's Kelly Oubre Jr. racked up 18 points despite 1-for-7 shooting on 3-point attempts. Jalen McDaniels finished with 16 points, Mason Plumlee added 15 and Gordon Hayward had 10 for Charlotte.

The Hornets hit 18 of 41 (43.9 percent) from beyond the arc and 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) from the free-throw line. Plumlee was 7-for-7 from the field and secured a team-high nine rebounds.

Houston had all sorts of ball-handling problems, committing 21 turnovers. The Rockets shot 15-for-46 (32.6 percent) on 3-point attempts and 12-for-18 (66.7 percent) on free throws.

Trevelin Queen, who had never topped two points in his three previous NBA games, paced the Rockets with 17 points off the bench. Christian Wood and Eric Gordon tallied 16 points apiece, and Daishen Nix and Armoni Brooks both had 11 points.

Houston went nearly five minutes without scoring during a stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters. By then, Charlotte built its lead to 98-70.

The Hornets led 64-50 at halftime behind 13 points apiece from Rozier and Plumlee, with the latter making all six of his shots from the field. Plumlee, who entered the night averaging 6.4 points per game, posted the final six points of the half for Charlotte, which outscored Houston 26-12 across the last 8 1/2 minutes of the half.

The Hornets shot 53.1 percent from the field in the half while the Rockets hit 43.2 percent.

By then, the Rockets had committed 12 turnovers. Less than three minutes into the second half, the Hornets held a 74-54 advantage.

Houston couldn't repeat a 146-143 overtime victory against Charlotte from one month earlier, an outcome that was the second victory in what became a seven-game Rockets winning streak. Since that success, the Rockets have won just two of 10 games.

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