2015 NBA scores: Nicolas Batum’s triple-double leads Hornets’ blowout of Heat

A statement game from the Hornets, Toronto’s big home win and everything else from Wednesday in the NBA.

by Satchel Price

Dec 10, 2015, 2:00 PM UTC

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

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NBA schedule and results: Hornets make a statement vs. Heat

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The search for another contender in the Eastern Conference may have an answer in the Hornets. The team continued its recent hot streak with a 99-81 dismantling of the Heat on Wednesday and now sits second in the standings with a 13-8 record. Only one game separates Charlotte from the Cavaliers for the top spot in the East.

The Hornets have quietly emerged as one of the best teams in the league after an 0-3 start to the season. Steve Clifford’s squad currently outscores opponents by 5.3 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com, which is tops in the conference and fourth-best in the league.

The breakout of Nicolas Batum, who was acquired via trade from Portland during the offseason, has been a big part of the turnaround. Batum's diverse game has helped transform the Hornets' offense into a more free-flowing unit, which currently ranks seventh in points per 100 possessions.

The French swingman was fantastic yet again Wednesday, recording his first triple-double in a Hornets uniform with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Even on a night when his shot wasn’t going in (3-of-9), Batum continued to make an impact on both ends of the floor.

The defense was especially strong by Charlotte against Miami. The Heat shot just 39 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range in the loss. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Goran Dragic were held to a combined 23 points. Hassan Whiteside had twice as many turnovers (six) as field goals made (three). Other than backup guard Tyler Johnson, who poured in 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting in 29 minutes that came largely with the score already lopsided, nobody really played well for Miami.

That's a testament to the Hornets' fantastic defense, which can now key in on perimeter ballhandlers with Batum's speed and length. Kemba Walker was also extremely active on that end with five steals as the team forced 17 turnovers in the game.

Charlotte had been a good defensive team in the past, but too often the offense lagged behind as it depended on Walker and Al Jefferson to shoulder too much of the load. Now with Batum, the team is as balanced as it's been in years, something that was on full display Wednesday even with Jefferson suspended for violating the league's anti-drug policy.

The Cavaliers remain the team to beat in the East, but in the race to figure out who’s next on the list, the Hornets are emerging as a leader.

3 other things we learned

The Spurs' defense can have an off night

Nobody is better at preventing points than the Spurs. The team currently leads the NBA by allowing just 92.6 points per 100 possessions this season. That's nearly four points better than the next-best team, which makes it pretty astonishing that the Raptors shot 58 percent in a 97-94 win over San Antonio on Wednesday night. Toronto just couldn't miss all night, even against a defense that's held its opponents to 42 percent shooting this season.

DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting and his backcourt mate, Kyle Lowry, added 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Luis Scola also scored 16 on 8-of-14 shooting, while Bismack Biyombo and Patrick Patterson added 10 points apiece in the win.

Now you’re probably wondering how the Raptors only scored 97 points despite shooting 58 percent. The answer? Way too many turnovers (20) and not enough three-pointers (3-of-10). That’s how the Spurs managed to stay in this one for so long.

Harden is getting Houston back on track

The Rockets are slowly climbing back up the West standings. James Harden scored 42 points to lead the team to a 109-103 win over the Wizards on Wednesday. Houston has now won six of its past eight games and sits eighth in the conference with an 11-12 record. That's not too bad for a team that opened the season 0-3 and was 5-10 just two weeks ago.

Harden had one of his best games of the season against Washington. The All-Star guard filled the box score with nine rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals in addition to his lofty point total. He was also quite efficient as a shooter, going 5-of-9 from three, 13-of-23 from the field and 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. That's a classic Harden performance and it was enough to beat the Wizards on a night when no other Rocket scored more than 15. Dwight Howard was especially quiet with just four points on 1-of-4 shooting.

John Wall led the Wizards with 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, but his near-miss on the triple-double wasn't enough at home. Washington is now 4-7 at the Verizon Center this season. The only team in the East with a worse home record is one-win Philadelphia.

Dumb plays can lead to greatness

Matt Barnes probably should not have taken a halfcourt shot with the Grizzlies trailing the Pistons by two with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter. His coach was signaling for a timeout, which could've given Memphis a chance to set up a halfcourt opportunity to win or force overtime. Even ignoring that, there was still time and space for him to get closer to the basket before releasing his shot. Instead, Barnes eschewed logic in favor of greatness:

Here's the crazy @Matt_Barnes22 game winner from half-court https://t.co/kQJs2jXB20
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 10, 2015

Memphis coach Dave Joerger was likely hoping for the chance to run a play in less hectic fashion. Sometimes, you just need to go with the flow, though.

Play of the night

DeAndre Jordan comes at you fast like that. It's just not fair to let the Clippers center get a running start. Greg Monroe didn't stand a chance on this one. Does it count as a dunk if DeAndre doesn't even touch the rim? Who cares, this was the best play of the night.