The Trail Blazers lost 3-of-32 three-pointers, the Hornets lost 8 in a row, and Ayton joined a new high of 26+19
On February 26, Beijing time, the NBA regular season Hornets played away against the Trail Blazers, and both sides played in the remnants. The Hornets led by 16 points at one point, and the Trail Blazers were chased to only 5 points at the beginning of the final quarter, and the Hornets then extended their 21-point advantage to a 16-0 offensive run to lay the victory, and finally the Hornets sent the Trail Blazers to 8 consecutive losses 93-80, and the Trail Blazers made 3 of 32 three-pointers to set the worst record of the season. Ayton's 26 points and 19 rebounds were his first performance as a Trail Blazers, with Grant scoring 15 points, Bridges 18 points and 10 rebounds, Richards 21 points and 10 rebounds, and all five Hornets scored in double figures.
The two sides met for the first time this season, with both teams playing in the middle of the pack. The Hornets are missing three balls, Curry Jr., Bertans, and Marvin Williams, and the Trail Blazers are missing six players including Henderson, Brogdon, and Sharpe. In the first quarter, both sides were not very efficient offensively, with the Hornets scoring 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-8 three-pointers, and Bridges scoring 8 points and 5 rebounds. The Trail Blazers were 6-of-23 in the first quarter, and the three-point score was as low as 1-of-12, and the Hornets led the Trail Blazers by 6 points 24-18 in the first quarter.
Entering the second quarter of the game, the Trail Blazers were still extremely sluggish, with poor offensive crosshairs on the court, they scored less than 20 points in a single quarter for two consecutive quarters, and only scored 16 points in the second quarter, resulting in a loss of 7 points in a single quarter 16-23. At the end of the first half, the Hornets led the Trail Blazers by 13 points at 47-34, and in the first two quarters, the Hornets made 19 of 38 to reach 5 percent, Bridges had 10 points and eight rebounds and Miller had 11 points. The Trail Blazers were 1-of-17 from three-point range, Ayton had 12 points, eight rebounds and Grant had 11 points.
Coming back from halftime, the Hornets extended their 16-point advantage at most, but the Trail Blazers gradually recovered to chase points, and Ayton continued to wreak havoc inside. The Hornets lost by two points at 23-25 in the third quarter, and the Hornets led the Trail Blazers by 11 points at 70-59 at the end of the third quarter. In the first three quarters, the Hornets scored in double figures, Bridges had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Miller and Richards both scored 13 points. The Trail Blazers had two players in double figures, with Ayton finishing with 22 points and 14 rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting and Grant scoring 15 points.
Entering the final quarter of the game, the Trail Blazers once stubbornly fought back to chase the score, and the Trail Blazers were chased to 73-68 in the first three and a half minutes of the fourth quarter and only led by 5 points. The Hornets then went on a 16-0 run to extend an 89-68 lead of 21 points to seal the victory. The game entered garbage time early, and the two sides turned on the training mode, and finally the Hornets took the Trail Blazers lightly.
(Text/Drunken Sleeping)