, and Joe Ingles had 14 points, including two pivotal 3s in the fourth quarter. Jazz coach Quin Snyder was ejected midway through the fourth quarter after arguing for a foul call.Terry Rozier, who was coming off a career-high 35 points in a 100-98 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday night, had 29 points for the Hornets (13-19). Devonte Graham added 22 points.The Hornets played one of their better first halves of basketball, shooting 58% from the field to build a 64-56 lead behind 25 total points from Graham and Rozier.But the Jazz battled back to take the lead for good with 9:15 remaining when Ingles knocked down a 3 after a turnover by the Hornets. A few possessions later, after Snyder was tossed for arguing with an official after two of his players collided while going for a loose ball. Snyder got in the face of Ray Acosta and was immediately tossed.But the Jazz didn't let it affect them.Bogdanovic knocked down a 3 to help push the lead to eight points, and Gobert had a dunk with 16 seconds left to help seal the win.TIP INSJazz: Gobert and the Hornets Nic Batum were teammates on the French national team, most recently competing in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. ... Guard Mike Conley sat out again with a hamstring injury. ... Bogdanovic was so mad at himself after being called for travelling in the third quarter he purposely bounced the ball off his own head in the direction of the official. ... Utah was 19 of 20 from the foul line.Hornets: Batum got a rare start for the Hornets and Cody Martin saw playing time off the bench as coach James Borrego looked to mix things up, as he's been known to do.UP NEXTJazz: Wrap up a three-game trip Sunday night at Miami.Hornets: Travel to face Kemba Walker, Charlotte's all-time leader scorer, and the Celtics on Sunday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Dec 20, 2019The Charlotte Hornets are back to the beginning in many ways. That's because they're talking about the starts of games.That figures to be one of the areas of emphasis on Saturday when the Utah Jazz visit the Hornets in Charlotte, N. C."It all starts with first-quarter urgency," Hornets coach James Borrego said. "I'm proud of this team for continuing to battle." The Hornets couldn't quite complete a comeback from a 24-point deficit, losing 100-98 on Wednesday night at Cleveland.Even though Terry Rozier missed a potential winning shot in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, it came on a night that the guard registered a career-high 35 points."Terry got us back in that game," Borrego said. "I was happy to see him get going there. He played with great confidence there." The Hornets played games on consecutive nights this week, and they had a lull at the beginning of the back-end of that set."We just can't dig ourselves that big of a hole," Charlotte center Cody Zeller said. "Another tough back-to-back coming up." After hosting the Jazz, the Hornets travel to Boston for Sunday's game.Utah began a three-game road trip with Thursday night's 111-106 victory at Atlanta, pushing its winning streak to four games. The Jazz improved to 6-8 in road games."You're not always going to go out there and blow teams out, but we fought and found a way," Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell said.Guard Mike Conley was out of the Utah lineup again after re-injuring his hamstring earlier this week. He had started in 22 games this season, which is his first with the Jazz. He averages 13.6 points and 4.6 assists per game.Mitchell, who has reached the 30-point mark eight times this season, was up to the task in Atlanta, which showcases guard Trae Young. Charlotte has productive guards such as Devonte' Graham and Rozier.It's a matter of being aggressive that tends to ignite the Jazz, coach Quin Snyder said."I was happy to see us stabilize and defend in the second half, and play with more force offensively," Snyder said of the game in Atlanta.Zeller's recent play has given Charlotte a lift. Borrego said Zeller has provided "great urgency, great competitive spirit" at both ends of the court.Zeller has been paired with center Bismack Biyombo for some stretches when the Hornets opt for a bigger lineup."It gives us a little extra size," Zeller said. "It has worked (in some) games so we'll see how it works going forward." Charlotte has lost two of its last three contests following a three-game winning streak.The Hornets have received largely strong backcourt play this season. At Cleveland, the Hornets were charged with only nine turnovers.The Hornets rode a stellar performance from reserve guard Malik Monk in Tuesday night's home victory against the Sacramento Kings. He wasn't able to build much off that because he exited in the first half in Cleveland with a hip injury.This is the first of two meetings between Utah and Charlotte, with the rematch Jan. 10 at Salt Lake City.--Field Level Media
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