Michael Porter Jr.’s 35 points power Nets past Hornets for first home victory

NEW YORK — Returning from a two-game absence, Michael Porter Jr. dropped a game-high 35 points and hit seven 3-pointers, his most this season and one short of a career high, leading the Nets to a 116-103 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday for their first home victory of the year and their fourth win of the season.

It was Porter’s team-leading sixth 30-point outing of the season, matching the most he’s recorded in any year of his career and underscoring just how essential he’s become to Brooklyn’s offense. Beyond his scoring, the Nets took the turnover battle 11-18 and the offensive glass 13-7, which led to 11 extra shots and ultimately swung the game.

However, the night opened with some early confusion. The Nets weren’t sure who was supposed to pick up Kon Knueppel off the opening tip, and Charlotte took advantage with a wide-open 3-pointer. But the first quarter quickly turned into a back-and-forth stretch. Charlotte shot the ball better overall, yet the Nets stayed close thanks to quick offensive starts from Porter and Nic Claxton and by turning Hornets turnovers into points. Even Egor Demin got going earlier than usual.

Brooklyn closed the period with rookies Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf sharing the floor, a look Nets fans have grown to enjoy. The trio stayed out there as Charlotte took a 27-26 lead into the second.

Sparked by aggressive downhill drives from Knueppel, the Hornets controlled the paint to open the quarter. They scored six straight buckets within six feet, then got a triple from Antonio Reeves and a dunk from Tidjane Salaun off a LaMelo Ball feed to push their lead to eight with 7:53 left in the half.

That margin stretched to 11 before Brooklyn tightened up defensively. The Nets forced back-to-back turnovers and capitalized with 3s from Powell, Claxton and Noah Clowney to pull within two with 3:27 remaining.

Clowney then tied it with a strong right-handed drive as the game clock wound down. A defensive stop with 2.3 seconds left sealed a momentum-shifting first half, and the Nets went into the break even at 59.

Brooklyn forced 11 turnovers in the half, turning them into 17 points, and grabbed eight offensive rebounds that led to 14 second-chance points. Charlotte, however, continued to dominate inside, winning the paint 32-22 and shooting 54.8% through two quarters.

Porter put up 17 points in his first 17 minutes, dropping 11 in the second quarter and hitting three 3s.

The Nets couldn’t create much separation for most of the third quarter, but late in the period they got back to what worked early: turning defense into offense. First, Tyrese Martin, in his second straight start, stripped Knueppel to set up another Porter 3-pointer. Then Powell followed with back-to-back steals that led to easy finishes for himself and Porter at the rim.

Brooklyn held Charlotte to 33.3% shooting in the quarter and forced six turnovers. Those stops, combined with 11 more points from Porter, helped the Nets build a six-point lead heading into the final frame.

Wolf, rediscovering the rhythm he showed Saturday night, poured in 10 points in the fourth quarter to help Brooklyn pull away, including a right-handed slam over Miles Bridges to extend the lead to 14 with 2:01 left. The Hornets shot just 36.4% down the stretch, a testament to Brooklyn’s defensive effort.

Wolf, Demin, Powell and Saraf logged 19, 27, 24 and 18 minutes, respectively, with Wolf and Powell reaching double figures and Powell adding three steals. The Nets also finished with a season-high 33 assists and tied their second-most 3s of the year with 17.

Knueppel paced Charlotte with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.

Brooklyn will return to the floor Wednesday when it visits the Chicago Bulls at United Center.

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