92
106
Last night was somewhat a tale of two halves for the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers in their preseason match-up at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the first half was somewhat a good half all-around for the Hornets, but when the second half came, the 76ers jumped out to a good lead that they put together at the half and they never looked back, as Philadelphia(1-1) held on to defeat Charlotte(0-1) 106-92.
The loss did provide some bright spots from Charlotte, as Lance Stephenson made his much-anticipated debut in a Hornets uniform, as he finished the night with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field in the loss along with Kemba Walker, who had 13 points as well on 5-of-12 shooting, but the leading scorer on the night for the Hornets was Gary Neal, who came off the bench to lead the team with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. As a team, the Hornets, in their first preseason game in 12 years, finished the night with a 36.8% average from the field, despite being out-rebounded by the 76ers 53-50.
Over on the Philadelphia side of last night's scoresheet, newcomer Tony Wroten would lead the 76ers in scoring with 15 points(6-of-10 shooting), while another newcomer, Casper Ware, came off the bench to add in 14 points, as Philadelphia finished the game with a 42.2% field goal percentage on the night to get their first preseason win on their schedule.
Tomorrow night, the Hornets will take on John Wall, Bradley Beal, and the up and coming Washington Wizards in Greenville, South Carolina at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena at 7:00 p.m., before taking the weekend off to prepare for Monday's game against the Orlando Magic at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Earlier today, the NBA announced its 2013-14 All-NBA team, and among the recipients for the honor, Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson was on the list, making the All-NBA third team. Jefferson received a total of 191 points, including four first-place votes by the media that covers the NBA on a daily basis. The honor is the first for Jefferson, who averaged 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds for the then-Bobcats this past season, helping them to a 43-38 mark this season and to the playoffs. He finished the season being ranked eighth in the NBA in rebounding, 11th in scoring, 23rd in field goal percentage(.509), 29th in blocks(1.1), and was tied for 30th in minutes played with 35.0
Jefferson recorded 29 games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, which is the second-best single-season total in the history of Charlotte NBA basketball since Larry Johnson recorded 32 games in the 1992-93 season for the original Charlotte Hornets franchise, with a career-best seven consecutive games from April 2nd-14th, tying "Grandmama" for the longest streak in Charlotte NBA history.
He becomes only the fifth player to be named to the All-NBA team in franchise history(dating back to the original Hornets first season in 1988-89), joining Larry Johnson(1992-93, All-NBA second team), Glen Rice(1996-97 All-NBA second team and 1997-98 All-NBA Third team), Anthony Mason(1996-97 Third Team), and Eddie Jones(1999-2000 Third Team). Jefferson was thrilled to receive the honor, and when he came here, he wanted to turn the franchise into a contender this past season, and he delivered on his promise. "When I signed here, I had a feeling that we had a chance to do something special - and we did." Jefferson quoted. "Looking back, we've come a long way."
Hugo the Hornet makes his long awaited return to Charlotte tomorrow
After 12 years, one of the most popular and beloved mascots in all of sports, and in NBA history, will finally make his long awaited return back home starting bright and early tomorrow morning. Hugo the Hornet will officially be reborn at 7:30 a.m. atop the roof Time Warner Cable Arena, a.k.a. "The Hive", to begin a busy day of appearances to mark his return to "Buzz City", and to greet Hornets fans throughout the city as a way to welcome him back home to Charlotte. His appearances will include the following:
- 7:30 a.m. - On top of the Time Warner Cable Arena roof
- 9:00 a.m. - Lynx Blue Line(from Bland Street to Carson Boulevard)
- 9:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m. - Lowe's at 217 Iverson Way in South End
- 10:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m. - Charlotte Fire Department station 1(221 North Myers Street)
- 12:15 p.m.-12:45 p.m. - Hornets Social Tweet-up(The corner of Trade and Tryon Streets in Center City)
- 1:45 p.m.-2:00 p.m. - CMPD Eastway Division(3505 Central Avenue)
- 2:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m. - Rama Road Elementary(1035 Rama Road)
- 3:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital(200 Hawthorne Lane)
- 6:30 p.m. - Hornets Open House at Time Warner Cable Arena
