CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball scored 12 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter as the Charlotte Hornets beat the Houston Rockets in the first game of the Charles Lee era.
Charlotte trailed by as much as 18 points but came back to lead with 10 minutes left in the game. The lead traded back-and-forth in the fourth quarter but the Hornets put the game away with a Grant Williams 3-pointer and a string of free throws in the final minute to win 110-105.
It's the fourth straight season-opening win for the Hornets, the longest active streak in the NBA.
LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 34 points on 10 of 20 shooting from the field. He also had 11 assists, giving him his fifth career game with 30 points and 10 assists, the most in Hornets history. Tre Mann followed with 24 points for Charlotte.
Houston was led by Jalen Green with 28 points. Alperen Sengun followed him with 25 points.
A strong second quarter fueled the Rockets to a 60-49 halftime lead. Alperen Sengun scored 10 of Houston's 30 points in the second quarter to give the team a big advantage.
But the Hornets charged ahead in the second half with a 30-point third quarter and a 29-point final period to take the win.
The Hornets were better on shooting percentage, making 44.7% of their shots compared to 36.9% for Houston. The Rockets created many more opportunities, though, outshooting the Hornets 103-85.
Charlotte took a big hit in the first half when Brandon Miller was ruled out of the game with hip soreness. He did not return to the game. Miller finished with just six points and one assist.
Charlotte begins 2024 with Lee as its new head coach. He isn't the only new addition to the Hornets this year. Jeff Peterson is the team's new general manager and Shelly Cayette-Weston is the president of business operations.
The Hornets finished the 2023-24 season with a dreadful 21-61 record and parted ways with Steve Clifford, the winningest head coach in franchise history.