Kemba’s 40 pace Hornets’ win after Oladipo’s banked 3 forces OT
It’s tough for any team to head into overtime after surrendering a game-tying three-pointer, and likely even worse when it gets banked in. Credit the Charlotte Hornets not succumbing to that disappointment in the extra period of Friday night’s game against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.
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Down 109-106 after two Kemba Walker free throws with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, the Magic attempted to get a good look a three to force overtime. They ended up with Victor Oladipo hoisting this off-balance attempt:
Walker tried a double-clutched winner after rushing up the court without a timeout but couldn’t get it to go.
The Hornets had better luck late in OT. Oladipo scored with 26 seconds on the clock to give the Magic a 116-115 lead, but Spencer Hawes followed with a go-ahead three at the other end. Oladipo then missed a short shot with six seconds left to allow Walker to finish off the 120-116 victory with two free throws.
That gave Walker 40 points (14-of-28 FG, 2-of-7 3FG, 10-of-12 FT) on the night, impressive but still short of the franchise-record 52 he put up on Monday.
Charlotte has now won two of its last three, a notable stretch following an awful run of 11 losses in 12 tries. They still sit way back in 12th place in the East, but the win brings them to within a half-game or Orlando and just 2 1/2 games off the No. 8 Miami Heat. They can still manage a playoff berth if they hold on to that position ahead of the potential returns of Al Jefferson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
