Hornets look for first 3-0 start in franchise history
After opening the season with two wins on the road, the second a dramatic come-from-behind victory at Miami on Friday night, the Charlotte Hornets can make franchise history when they open their home season against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. The franchise -- the Bobcats/Hornets -- has never started a season with three straight wins. It didn't look like they'd get a chance to do that this season, either, when they trailed the Heat 65-46 in the third quarter on Friday night in Miami. But Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb -- the UConn connection, if you will -- led the charge and the Hornets, who won at Milwaukee on Wednesday, made it 2-0. "We could have given up, but we didn't," Walker said. "We kept wanting it." The Hornets went on a 51-26 run to leave Miami's home crowd stunned in silence. "Right now, early in the year, frankly, these first few games you're just trying to find out what your team's about, and I do like the way we fight back -- that's the good sign," Hornets coach Steve Clifford told reporters after Friday night's win. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra aid, "They're a well-coached, veteran team. They weren't punch-drunk or anything when we went up. ... We knew going in we would have to play a complete game against them and we weren't able to do that." The Hornets won both games without Frank Kaminsky, still out with an ankle sprain, and Roy Hibbert played only the first half because of a sore knee, reducing his role to one of a cheerleader. Clifford said Hibbert, who had the knee drained before the opener, told him he has this problem early in seasons. "We don't want to mess around with it," Clifford said. As far as Hibbert playing Saturday night, the coach said he wouldn't "know until tomorrow afternoon, I would think." Walker, who had 17 points in the opener, was limited to one field goal in the first half but came on and finished with 24 points to lead six players in double figures. Lamb scored 16 points, including a dazzling reverse layup late in the charge. The win was only the second in Charlotte's last 14 games in Miami -- and it was the Heat who eliminated the Hornets from last year's playoffs, in seven games. The Celtics, playing without injured Marcus Smart (ankle) and Kelly Olynyk (shoulder), blew most of a 23-point third-quarter lead and hung on to beat the Brooklyn Nets in their opener on Wednesday night in Boston. They then went to Chicago and charged from behind before losing to the Bulls. Boston was outrebounded 55-36 by the Bulls in a chippy game. "They got 24 more shots than us. We only turned it over (12) times," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after the 105-99 loss. "So that's the obvious place they're getting their possessions, on the glass. That's going to be the No. 1 thing, that has been the No. 1 thing. It's something we've talked about. We have to get better at it." Saturday night's game features a matchup of the Zellers -- Tyler starting the second half and playing well Thursday night, and Cody scored 15 points in 14 minutes in the Charlotte opener and then 10 points in 23 minutes on Friday night -- after missing the preseason with a knee injury. Cody Zeller had to start the second half on Friday because of Hibbert's injury. |