Spurs vs Hornets Recap & Highlights: Ball, Rozier Help Grind Out Win

Dejounte Murray and the San Antonio Spurs (24-40) traveled to the Spectrum Center to take on the Charlotte Hornets (32-33) during the NBA Saturday slate. It came down to the wire, but the Hornets came out on top in the end—winning with 123-117 being the final score.

LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier played key roles in leading the Hornets to this victory. Rozier led with 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists while Ball chipped in 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Both players combined for 10 makes from beyond the arc as Charlotte shot 16/42 (38.1%) from deep as a team.

The point guard battle of Dejounte Murray and LaMelo Ball was something many were looking forward to in this Spurs vs Hornets matchup, and it did not disappoint. Murray finished his night with an impressive 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists, but came up empty on all three of his three-point attempts.

LATEST NBA NEWS: Spurs vs Hornets Saturday: Lineups, Injury Reports & Broadcast Info

For the Spurs, it was Keldon Johnson who provided their top performance. He finished with 33 points and 8 rebounds. San Antonio received other solid individual outings in this game but largely shooting 11/37 (29.7%) from deep proved to be problematic in the end.

The Hornets had lost five out of their last seven outings prior to this game and have struggled to stay afloat while Gordon Hayward remains out indefinitely. Meanwhile, the Spurs have lose four consecutive games and are loosing ground in their pursuit of a play-in spot.

LATEST NEWS ON LAKERS’ STRUGGLES THIS NBA SEASON: When asked after the loss to the Clippers about if the team has talked about bringing Russell Westbrook off the bench, Lakers coach Frank Vogel said: “We’ve talked about everything.” READ MORE

NBA EXPANSION NEWS: The Charlotte Bobcats, now the Charlotte Hornets, were the last expansion team in the NBA back in 2004 and with more and more talent entering the league through the draft, plus the idea of equaling out “superteams” in the league, the NBA could serious re-open conversations about adding two more expansion teams to take the league to 32 total teams. READ MORE

Grant Afseth

Grant Afseth is an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network and Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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