Hornets bounce back into win column with defensive finesse against Portland Trail Blazers

CHARLOTTE — A broken winning streak didn’t stop the Charlotte Hornets from shutting down the Portland Trail Blazers offense for a 93-80 win on Sunday night.

An impressive defense from the Hornets paired with rough 3-point shooting from the Blazers pushed Charlotte to hold Portland to their third-lowest total of the season.

“Our defense was good,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “Right now, everybody’s trying. If they try hard and you have a feel for the game, you can be OK. And right now, we have really good basketball IQ.”

Portland was 3 of 32 from 3-point range, with two of the makes coming in the final minutes. The Trail Blazers missed 23 in a row at one point in dropping their eighth straight to fall to 15-41, the Associated Press reports.

“We got a lot of open shots,” said Portland’s Anfernee Simons. “I got a lot of good looks, and they just didn’t fall. Just one of those days for everybody.”

With 21 points and 10 rebounds, Nick Richards led the Hornets to their fifth win since the trade deadline on Feb. 8.

(WATCH: Charlotte FC wins first regular season game, remains undefeated under new coach)

Charlotte FC wins first regular season game, remains undefeated under new coach

©2024 Cox Media Group