NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 25 points, Miles Bridges had 19, and the Charlotte Hornets routed the Brooklyn Nets 117-86 on Tuesday night.
Moussa Diabaté finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds while LaMelo Ball had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help the Hornets (40-36) stop a two-game losing streak.
Josh Minott scored 14 points for the lottery-bound Nets (18-58), who have lost 11 of their last 12 games.
Charlotte (40-36) is tied
with the Miami Heat for ninth in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind Orlando.
The Hornets matched their season low for points allowed. Charlotte also allowed 86 points in a 25-point win at Toronto on Dec. 5.
The Hornets rebounded from consecutive home losses Saturday to Philadelphia and Sunday to Boston by taking a 35-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. Miller scored 16 points on 5-of-5 shooting - including three 3-points – and Charlotte shot 54.5% (12 for 22) from the field and 40% (6 for 15) from beyond the 3-point line in the period.
Brooklyn trimmed the deficit to 47-39 after rookie Drake Powell hit a 3-pointer with 5:19 remaining in the second quarter, but got no closer. Charlotte outscored the Nets 70-47 the rest of the way.
The Hornets had 28 assists on 41 made field goals and outrebounded the Nets 56-41.
Hornets: Host Phoenix on Thursday.
Nets: Host Atlanta on Friday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
