Terry Rozier had 37 points (21 on 7 3-pointers) and a career-high 13 assists, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Brooklyn Nets 129-128.
Rozier’s pull-up 3-pointer put the Hornets ahead for good with 2:38 left in the fourth quarter.
Rozier’s 19-foot step-back jumper with 39.9 seconds left made it 129-126. The Nets had the ball down 1, but Cameron Johnson missed a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left that would have put them ahead.
During clutch time, the Hornets outscored the Nets 15-13. Rozier scored 10 of the Hornets’ 15 on 3 for 4 shooting and 2 for 2 at the line. Early in the fourth quarter, Rozier had 2 steals, one of them leading to JT Thor’s putback that put the Hornets ahead 112-110, and the Hornets scored 2 points off them. With 2:44 left, P.J. Washington stole the ball from Nic Claxton, and Rozier’s pull-up 3-pointer off it put the Hornets ahead 123-120.
Miles Bridges scored 23 points on 9 for 15 shooting, and Gordon Hayward added 22 points (10 in the second quarter) and 6 assists. The Hornets had 3 20-point scorers. Rozier assisted on 6 of Miles Bridges’ 9 baskets.
For the Nets, Cam Thomas scored 26 points off the bench, and Mikal Bridges added 22 points and 9 rebounds. Claxton had 20 points and 14 rebounds on 9 for 13 shooting. The Nets had 3 20-point scorers.
The Hornets made 21 3-pointers, 7 of them by Rozier and 4 by Bryce McGowens. The Nets outscored the Hornets 66-38 in the paint.