Brandon Miller sparks Hornets' wire-to-wire rout of Nets

The only real suspense in Brooklyn was how big the final margin would get. Charlotte comes out scorching, drops 35 in the first quarter, and essentially puts the game on ice before the Nets can even settle in. By the time the opening frame ends, the Hornets have already built a 35-18 cushion, and the gap keeps widening as Charlotte controls every pocket of the game. This isn’t a comeback, and it isn’t a back-and-forth fight — it’s a straight-up road beatdown, fueled by shot-making, pace, and active hands on defense.

Brandon Miller is the cleanest offensive engine on the floor. He finishes with 25 points in 29 minutes, and his scoring comes in a way that keeps Brooklyn off balance: pull-ups, catch-and-shoot looks, and enough pressure on the rim to force the Nets to defend every trip. Miles Bridges adds 19 points, five rebounds, and four steals in just 24 minutes, and his impact shows up everywhere. Early on, Charlotte’s 15-0 burst in the first quarter turns a 4-3 game into a 18-4 gap, with Bridges capping the run at the line on the second of two free throws. That sequence doesn’t just swing the scoreboard — it changes the temperature in the building.

Brooklyn does get a brief second-quarter response, trimming the Hornets’ lead with a 12-0 run of its own. J. Minott’s free throw at 28-39 gives the Nets a little life, and for a moment the home side looks like it might stabilize the game. But Charlotte never lets that become a real threat. The Hornets answer by continuing to score in bunches and keep Brooklyn’s offense in a half-court bind. At halftime, Charlotte still leads 58-45, and the margin never dips below double digits long enough to create genuine tension.

The third quarter is where the game officially becomes a runaway. Charlotte strings together another 10-0 push, with LaMelo Ball drilling a 25-footer off a B. Miller assist to extend the lead from 75-58 to 85-58. That shot feels like the gut punch — the kind that says the Hornets are still in rhythm, still seeing the floor, and still willing to launch from deep with confidence. From there, the visitors keep the pressure on. The lead balloons to 89-63 by the end of the period, and Brooklyn is forced to spend the fourth quarter chasing ghosts.

Even with the result decided, Charlotte doesn’t let the game drift. In the final five minutes, R. Kalkbrenner blocks a shot at 4:39, then is right back in the action with a driving hook at 3:28. E. Liddell follows with a putback layup, P. Connaughton cuts for a layup off T. Mann’s second assist of the stretch, and Mann adds his own pullup jumper with 1:13 left. The Hornets stay active defensively too, with C. Johnson and Mann both recording steals late. It’s a crisp finish to a complete performance — one where the bench, the defense, and the primary scorers all contribute to a game that never really tightened.

For Charlotte, this is the kind of road win that travels well. The Hornets get 10 points and 12 rebounds from Moussa Diabaté, plus a strong two-way night from Bridges and a big scoring load from Miller. More importantly, they leave Brooklyn with a convincing blowout that reinforces the separation between the two teams in this matchup. For the Nets, the focus shifts quickly to regrouping after being overwhelmed from the opening quarter onward.