On December 16, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Spurs' game against the Hornets officially began. After the game started, the Hornets took the initiative on the field early. Offensively, the Hornets played not only fast but also very steadily. Defensively, the Hornets were able to limit the Spurs' offense very well. In the first quarter, the Hornets led by 15 points. At the end of the second quarter, the Hornets led by 16 points. Even in the second half, the Hornets still have a firm grip on the initiative on the court. In the final four quarters, the Hornets defeated the Spurs 131-115.
Realistically speaking, although the Spurs had 6 players score in double figures in this game, the Spurs lost this game without any temper. The reason is very simple, that is, the Spurs are at a disadvantage in all the statistics of this game. Rebounding: The Hornets grabbed 48 rebounds and the Spurs only grabbed 38 rebounds. In terms of assists: The Hornets gave 34 assists in the whole game, and the Spurs only gave 27 assists in the whole game. Shooting percentage: The Hornets shot 59% from the field and 52% from three-point range. The Spurs shot 43 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range. Obviously, in the face of these data, we can only say that the Spurs really have no temper at all when they lose.
Okay, after talking about the losing Spurs, let's talk about the Hornets who won. Objectively speaking, the main reason why the Hornets were able to win the game without core player Ball was none other than Hayward's excellent performance. Hayward played 29 minutes in this game, shooting 15-of-19, including 5-of-6 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the free throw line, and got 41 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, plus-minus +35. Yes, you read that Hayward scored 41 points after 29 minutes, and even shot 41 points while shooting 78 percent. Seeing such data, I have to say with emotion that Hayward is really a person who has subdued the Spurs.
I believe that fans who have watched the game will know how smart Hayward played in this game. Offensively, Hayward doesn't hold the ball too much and singles too much, all he needs to do is keep running for empty shots. As long as there is a vacancy, Hayward's certainty of scoring goals will be very high. On the contrary, if he can't run out of the empty seat, Hayward also has the strength to single with a hand ball, his steps are very flexible, and the shooting feel is very soft. To put it bluntly, if the opponent is not close to the defense, Hayward can use the shot to score. If defended closely, Hayward would use the breakout to score. All in all, Hayward played too smart on the offensive end to have no scoring blind spots on the court.
In fact, not only did Hayward play well in this game, but Hayward's performance so far this season has been very stable, and so far Hayward has averaged 18.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 47% shooting. I don't know, after reading this data, will you still say that Hayward is not worth a $120 million contract? Would it also be said that Hayward is not an All-Star? Yes, Hayward's competitive form has indeed declined a bit in recent seasons, but in terms of overall strength, Hayward is still an all-star player in the league, and he is still a small forward in the league's top five. Especially in this game, Hayward told us with his strength, and now he still has the strength to dominate the game.