• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Hornets cruise past Jazz

Dec 21, 2014 - 4:15 AM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Kemba Walker scored 20 points with six assists to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 104-86 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

Al Jefferson posted 19 points with 10 rebounds and Gerald Henderson netted 17 points for the Hornets, who have won two straight on the heels of a four-game skid.

"We've been in a lot of games this year where we had big leads and gave them up," said Jefferson. "The last two games we really played solid Hornets basketball."

Gordon Hayward paced the Jazz with 14 points to go along with six assists. Joe Ingles had a career-high 13 points off the bench and Derrick Favors also scored 13 points as Utah had its 10-game winning streak against the Hornets snapped

Rudy Gobert deposited 11 points with 12 rebounds in the loss.

"We were searching to find some juice all night," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.

Favors' jumper trimmed Utah's early deficit to 17-16 midway through the first. Charlotte then outscored the visitors 14-7 over the final six minutes to take a 31-23 lead into the second.

Brian Roberts and Gary Neal each hit a 3-pointer around an Alec Burks basket to stretch the margin to 12 early in the second. The Hornets continued to lead by double digits for a majority of the quarter and brought a 52-39 lead into the locker room.

Charlotte opened the game up a bit in the third thanks to a 12-2 run that Jefferson opened with a jumper at 9:31. Cody Zeller closed the burst with a free throw nearly four minutes later that pushed the lead to 68-47.

Burks scored seven points during a 15-2 surge early in the fourth for Utah that helped trim the deficit to 88-78 with 6:52 left.

The Hornets responded, however, as Henderson and Walker each hit a 3 during an 11-0 run that essentially sealed it for the hosts.

Game Notes

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist supplied 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win ... Burks and Trey Burke finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively ... Charlotte shot 48 percent from the floor and limited the Jazz to 39 percent shooting ... Utah wraps up its six-game road trip in Memphis on Monday.