Terry Rozier scored a season-high 37 points and tallied a career-high 13 assists, powering the hot-shooting Charlotte Hornets (6-11) to a narrow victory over the Brooklyn Nets (9-9) at Barclays Center.

The Hornets shot 50.5% from the field and 58.3% (21-36) from deep as a team; Rozier alone went 7-9 from beyond the arc, with Bryce McGowens shooting 3-5 and Nick Smith Jr. going 3-3. Charlotte shot a perfect 16-16 from the free throw line and committed just nine turnovers.

Summary

McGowens hit a three to open the scoring and Hayward added another on the next trip. The Hornets led early on before Brooklyn ripped off a 13-2 run to jump in front. The McGowens-to-Williams connection got the Hornets back into it soon after, and it remained a two-possession game for most of the first. Ish Smith picked up three fouls in four minutes, freeing up some first-quarter minutes for Smith Jr. Mikal Bridges sliced through Charlotte’s defense for a layup in the closing seconds to make it 37-31 after one.

The Nets stretched the lead to double digits early in the second quarter, but Rozier and Bridges fired back with a 9-0 run between the two of them to get the Hornets within one. Hayward sank a pull-up three to give Charlotte its first lead since 11-9, helping them build a 15-4 run to take the lead back. Rozier and Hayward led the charge in the first half, with Rozier tallying 17 points and 9 assists and Hayward adding 14 and 4 assists.

The Hornets took a 73-71 lead into the locker room on the back of a 22-9 run over the final 5:10 of the half. The 42-point second quarter is Charlotte’s highest of the year and 73 first-half points was also a season-high.

A Dorian Finney-Smith three gave Brooklyn the lead in the first minute of the third, but the Hornets got it right back on a Miles Bridges three a few trips later. For a stretch in the middle of the quarter, the pace slowed down as the Hornets’ shooting cooled off momentarily. The game swung back-and-forth late in the third; Charlotte trailed 95-90, took a 97-95 lead, went down 102-97, and then ended the quarter down 106-102. Rozier had 27 points and 11 assists through three.

Smith Jr. hit consecutive threes to put the Hornets in front as the Nets opened the fourth 1-7 from the field. A critical challenge flipped a Mark Williams shooting foul into a jump ball, which resulted in an 11-footer from Hayward that made it a one-point game again. Mikal go a step on Miles and laid one in to force Steve Clifford into a timeout down 120-117 with under four minutes to go.

As usual, Rozier was absolute nails in crunch time. With 10 points in the final 3:34, a pair of threes put the Hornets in front before free throws and a tough, contested step-back from the right elbow gave them a 129-126 cushion with 39.5 seconds remaining. Nic Claxton cleaned up Mikal’s miss to make it a one-point game on the next possession, and Rozier took matters into his own hands again. His pull-up two rattled out, the Nets ran off the ensuing rebound and found Cam Johnson for a wide open look at a game-winning three. Luckily, it didn’t fall, Williams secured the rebound and the Hornets escaped with the win.

the good

It’s great to see McGowens shooting so confidently, especially off the catch. He’s always had the touch and mechanics to be a versatile 3-point shooter and it was on full display tonight. Besides that, he was patient and looking to make plays with the ball and was very good navigating screens and switches defensively. Great night in his first start of the season.

NSJ plays with palpable energy; the rookie hustles up and down the floor, wants to rebound and defend, and works to get open off-ball. Really encouraging signs to go with the obvious displays of touch and feel for the game offensively. Those threes to open the fourth quarter were huge for momentum and took a lot of confidence to make. Career-high 9 points for the rook.

The offensive efficiency with LaMelo and Miller out didn’t miss a beat. The blueprint is there to replicate for as long as Melo sits; intoxicating dose of ball-screens, flow into handoffs, and be active with off-ball movement around the 3-point line. It may not always work, but clearly the Hornets can put up points without their two young scorers.

Scary Terry was absolutely hooping. He doesn’t have the tempo and creativity Melo does, but he can effectively run point; excellent ball-handler, gets defenders in jail in pick-and-roll and makes accurate, timely pocket passes to bigs, as well as extra passes to shooters. Tonight was a reminder of how good a player Rozier is when healthy.

the bad

Not a ton of “bad” tonight, honestly. We’ll keep it light for a win.

Defensively, the ball containment was pretty weak, and has been all season; when Steve Clifford harps on effort in press conferences, my hunch is that he’s referring to players dying on screens and getting blown by with poor positioning and footwork. The Nets were getting all the way to the rim and finishing with ease; 66 points on 63.5% shooting in the paint. There are a couple players on the roster that are simply not rotation-caliber defenders right now.