The Charlotte Hornets opened their season with a 110-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at Barclays Center. Grayson Allen scored 21 points to lead all scorers, while Naz Reid nearly posted a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Julius Randle scored a game-high 33 points for Brooklyn in the loss.
Charlotte built its cushion in the third quarter, outscoring the Nets 32-33 to keep the lead from slipping away before holding on down the stretch. Randle carried Brooklyn offensively all night, adding eight rebounds and seven assists of his own, but the Nets could not overcome 22 turnovers that Charlotte converted into 26 points.
Key Moments: How The Hornets Beat Nets 110-103
Brandon Miller ignited Charlotte’s first-half surge with four made three-pointers, including back-to-back triples at the 4:32 and 3:26 marks of the first quarter that pushed the Hornets’ lead to 19-12. Miller finished with 18 points on 7-of-21 shooting, going 3 of 14 from three-point range.
Charlotte’s largest lead of the night reached 10 points, while Brooklyn’s biggest advantage was seven. The teams traded the lead seven times before the Hornets pulled away for good in the second half. Moussa Diabate contributed 17 points and eight rebounds off a strong all-around effort, closing the paint and finishing a first-quarter dunk that capped an early 27-23 edge.
Dennis Schroder added 19 points and six assists, helping steady Charlotte’s offense whenever Brooklyn made runs behind Michael Porter Jr., who scored 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting with five made threes.
Top Performers From Hornets Vs Nets
Reid’s line of 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists paced Charlotte’s balanced attack, which saw five players reach double figures. Allen’s 21 points came efficiently, aided by a perfect 4-of-4 mark from the free-throw line. Royce O’Neale added eight points and four rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench, finishing a team-best plus-15 in the box score.
For Brooklyn, Randle’s 33 points marked the game’s top individual scoring output. Porter Jr. followed with 26, and Day’Ron Sharpe chipped in eight points and eight rebounds. Despite Brooklyn shooting 45% from the field compared to Charlotte’s 44%, the Nets’ 22 turnovers and 11 offensive rebounds surrendered proved costly against a Hornets team that out-rebounded them 44-38.
What It Means
The win pushed Charlotte to 1-0 to start the season, tying it atop the Southeast Division standings alongside Washington and Atlanta, all sitting at 1-0. The Hornets also took a 1-0 edge in the season series against Brooklyn.
Brooklyn dropped to 0-1, placing it last in the Atlantic Division standings alongside New York and Boston, both also 0-1. The loss came in front of 17,548 fans at Barclays Center in the Nets’ season opener.
Miller’s big night comes after Charlotte signed him to a five-year, $209 million extension, a deal detailed in Total Apex Sports’ coverage of the Hornets’ extension for Brandon Miller. Charlotte opened the season without Coby White, who remains out with a calf strain according to Total Apex Sports’ report on the Coby White calf injury.
What’s Next
Both teams now turn to their next games on the schedule following their season openers. Charlotte will look to build on its 1-0 start, while Brooklyn aims for its first win after dropping the opener at home. Neither team’s next opponent or date was included in the available data.
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