NEW YORK (AP) — Naz Reid had 20 points and 11 rebounds in his Charlotte debut, Grayson Allen added 21 points off the bench and the Hornets beat the Brooklyn Nets 110-103 on Wednesday night.
Dennis Schroder scored eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Brandon Miller had 18 and Moussa Diabate added 17 for the short-handed Hornets.
Charlotte, which was eliminated from the Eastern Conference play-in tournament last season, was without starters Coby
White (left calf strain) and shooting guard Kon Knueppel (right hamstring strain), who led the NBA last season in 3-pointers made.
The Hornets dealt star point LaMelo Ball to Minnesota after the season in the deal that brought Reid to Charlotte.
Julius Randle scored 33 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field in his debut for the Nets. Michael Porter Jr. shot 10 for 21 from field to finish with 26 points.
None of Brooklyn’s other three starters scored in double figures. The Nets, celebrating their 60th season, wore white uniforms with red and blue in a nod to their ABA days.
The Hornets had their 10-point lead trimmed to five heading in the final period. Porter cut the deficit to 94-90 with a floater with 7:20 left in regulation, but Schroder, who debuted for his 12th different NBA team, then outscored the Nets 8-2. He capped it with a finger roll layup that extended the lead 102-92 with 5:38 to play.
Brooklyn had a chance to make it a one possession game after a three-point play from Randle with 1:16 remaining but Egor Demin’s turnover led to a 3-pointer from Allen that sealed the game.
Mikel Brown Jr., who the Nets took with the No. 6 pick in the draft, had six points and three assists in 20 minutes off the bench.
Hornets: Welcome the Atlanta Hawks for their home opener Friday.
Nets: Visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
___
See AP’s full NBA coverage here
