Court Vision: Hornets make quick work of Nuggets in home rout

By foxsports
Published

The blowout win comes on the heels of Charlotte's 18-point win over Utah Saturday night.

With these easy victories, the Hornets regulars have gotten extra rest down stretch -- which shouldn't be taken lightly. Rest is key, even this early in the season.

Just ask San Antonio, the NBA defending champions.

"Eighty-two games is a long season," said Hornets coach Steve Clifford. "The wear and tear on their bodies is everything."

That welcome rest greatly benefits Al Jefferson, who has logged only 53-plus minutes over the last two victories. Ideally, Clifford would like his All-Star center to average about 28 minutes a game.

"It's really big, especially with four games in five nights," Jefferson said of Charlotte's current stretch. "You can tell it's a big difference (on your body)."

Entering this holiday week, Walker ranked third in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.8/1). That ratio was crushed on Monday, Walker racking up nine assists and only one turnover against the middling Nuggets (12-16).

Before Monday's rout, Walker ranked 20th in assists per game. BUt it's the assist-to-turnover ratio that has caused people to take notice.

"I think it's just knowing the offense," Walker said. "I got better with my passing, as well as I'm seeing the whole court now. It's also just guys making shots."

Yes, Hairston buried two triples and ended up with 10 points total, but his defensive work warranted the most praise from Clifford.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder snared nine defensive rebounds (10 overall) -- both career highs.

"He was ready tonight," Clifford said. "(Hairston) was determined to play well. He's a talented guy. But like a lot of rookies it just takes time. I think he has a lot of things where he can become a really good NBA player."

For his part, Hairston said it's all based around his comfort level.

41.5: The Hornets' 3-point shooting percentage over the last two games. For the season, Charlotte has been routinely in the low-30s percentile.

53.8: Charlotte's overall shooting percentage for a night that included the following victories for quarters 1-3: 10, 8 and 9 points.

"I'm into challenges, but I'm not into playing a month without him." -- Steve Clifford, on being extra cautious with Jefferson's slight groin injury.

Follow Brett Jensen on Twitter at @Brett_Jensen.