Charlotte Hornets’ Terry Rozier dribbles to the basket during an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
NEW YORK — Terry Rozier had 37 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Charlotte Hornets beat the Brooklyn Nets 129-128 in the NBA on Thursday night.
Miles Bridges added 23 points, Gordon Hayward chipped in 22 and Mark Williams had 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Hornets snapped their two-game losing streak despite playing without star guard LaMelo Ball and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller.
“My trust is in all my teammates just like they trust in me,” Rozier said. “I think everybody stepped up tremendously. Everybody chipped in and did a great job.”
Cam Thomas scored 26 points in his return from a sprained ankle and Mikal Bridges had 22 points and nine rebounds as Brooklyn’s three-game winning streak was snapped.
“We did not have the standard that we have, especially in that first half,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “That set the tone. You give a team confidence, and they’re playing free and able to make shots.”
Terry Rozier came up CLUTCH for the @Hornets!
🔥 37 PTS (13-25 FG)
🔥 13 AST
🔥 7 3PM pic.twitter.com/NH0OQWWgrT— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 1, 2023
The teams combined to make 98 of 196 field goals, but the Hornets shot 58.3% from 3-point range, led by Rozier (7 for 9) and Bryce McGowens (4 for 5), who set a career high for 3-pointers.
“Bryce is putting a lot of work in, and it’s showing,” Rozier said. “We’re all happy for him, and hopefully he can keep it going.”
Charlotte outscored Brooklyn 27-22 in the fourth quarter and made six of its final eight field goals. The Hornets also limited the Nets to 9-for-27 shooting (33.3%) in the final period.
“I think our fourth-quarter defense was critical,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “It’s a great win. The most important thing is we fought hard and made plays at the end of the game.”
The Nets had the chance to win it after Rozier missed a mid-range jumper with eight seconds left, but Cam Johnson missed a 3-pointer that would have won it with 2.1 seconds left.
“We got a great look at the end,” Thomas said. ”(Johnson’s) miss was a great look, a wide-open 3. We’ll live with that all day.”
The Nets shot 58.3% in the first half despite missing their first five field goals. They made 28 of 43 (65.1%) to close the first half after the slow start, led by Thomas’ 17 first-half points in his first action after missing the past nine games.
“I thought overall (Thomas) looked good,” Vaughn said. “He hasn’t been able to play a lot of basketball … so good to have him back out there. Another weapon for us, now we’ve got to put it all together with more healthy bodies.”
Charlotte set a season high with 42 second-quarter points and made 11 of 19 3-pointers in the first half. Keyed by Hayward, who scored 10 of his 14 first-half points in the second quarter, Charlotte led by as many as seven and took a two-point advantage into halftime.
“We made so many shots,” Clifford said. “We battled hard. We just couldn’t stop them until the fourth quarter.”
UP NEXT FOR HORNETS, NETS
Hornets: Host Minnesota on Saturday.
Nets: Host Orlando on Saturday.