In their 7th consecutive win the Charlotte Hornets once again had 13 players see action, an NBA rarity. The Hornets (37-28) beat the Rockets (33-33) 125-109 in Charlotte, led by the standout play of point guard Kemba Walker (26 points, 11-of-16) and forward Marvin Williams (25 points, 9-of-16). But it was a total team effort for Charlotte, who may be playing the best team basketball in the Eastern Conference right now. Al Jefferson had ten boards and ten assists, and Jeremy Lin scored 16 points off the bench on 4-of-9 shooting. The Hornets as a team shot 54.5% from the field.
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Lin’s performance is typical of how Charlotte is winning under Hornets coach Steve Clifford. Lin’s penetration gave him eight trips to the free throw line. He committed zero turnovers with Charlotte’s playoff mentality emphasis on taking care of the ball. Lin grabbed four boards and dished four assists in 25 minutes. The Hornets are just making good decisions across the board. Lin, who some thought would be a starter at Charlotte, is instead playing an important role as a cog in a machine that looks ready to roll into the playoffs. Lin will look to play the role Jason Terry played for the Mavs in 2011 — or even provide a Manu Ginobili-like off-the-bench spark in the playoffs.
