By Sam Perley, hornets.com

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Result

The Hornets rallied to pull off one of the most improbable victories in franchise history as they rebounded from a seven-point first quarter and 23-point deficit to overtake the San Antonio Spurs, 91-88, on Monday, March 21 in Charlotte. The unlikely win was thanks largely in part to the efforts of Jeremy Lin, as he scored a game-high 29 points off the bench to lead the Hornets to their second-largest comeback victory ever. Tony Parker scored a team-high 19 points for the Spurs, who lost for just the 11th time this season.

Turning Points

After falling behind 28-7 at the end of the opening frame, Charlotte chipped away at San Antonio’s lead, eventually cutting it down to just 72-67 by the start of the fourth quarter. The Hornets finally moved ahead after a Jeremy Lin three-pointer with 9:09 remaining gave them a 75-74 lead. Both teams would go neck-and-neck the rest of the way until a Kawhi Leonard tip-in put the Spurs ahead, 88-87, but Lin responded with a jumper to put the Hornets back out in front with 48.4 seconds left. After two misses by Leonard on the next San Antonio possession, Lin snagged a rebound and hit the two ensuing free throws after a Spurs foul to put the Hornets up, 91-88, with 18.3 seconds left in the game. Both Patty Mills and Danny Green each missed potential game-tying three-pointers for the Spurs in the closing moments although got one final chance after the ball trickled out of bounds off Charlotte with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. San Antonio wouldn’t get another shot off though as Courtney Lee stole the inbounds pass, officially ending the Hornets 10-game losing streak to the Spurs.

Inside the Box Score

Jeremy Lin drained a game-high 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and two assists… Courtney Lee tallied 17 points, two rebounds and a game-high four steals. This was also Lee’s highest-scoring performance since joining the team… Nicolas Batum added 15 points, six rebounds and a team-high-tying three assists… Cody Zeller chipped in six points, a career-high-tying 14 rebounds and a team-high-tying three assists… Tony Parker led the Spurs with a team-high 19 points, five rebounds and a game-high seven assists… LaMarcus Aldridge posted 18 points, a team-high 12 rebounds and five assists… Tim Duncan notched 16 points, 10 rebounds and a game-high four blocks… Kawhi Leonard finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals… San Antonio edged out Charlotte on the boards, 47-46… The Hornets crushed the Spurs in fast-break points, 21-4… The seven first-quarter points by the Hornets was the fewest by any team in the NBA this season. Charlotte is the first team to win a NBA game after scoring seven-or-fewer points in the first quarter since the Utah Jazz in 2008.

Hornets Player of the Game

Jeremy Lin torched the Spurs for a game-high 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting (season-best 4-of-4 from three-point range) to go along with seven rebounds and two assists in the victory. Lin, who notched his highest-scoring game of the season off the bench, now has six games this season with 20-or-more points, which is fourth most on the team.

Spurs Player of the Game

LaMarcus Aldridge had a strong outing for the Spurs as he finished with 18 points, a team-high 12 rebounds and five assists in the loss. This is Aldridge’s 22nd double-double of the season which is 10 more than any other player on the San Antonio roster.

Game Notes

This is Charlotte’s first win against the Spurs since January 15, 2010… The 23-point comeback win was one point shy of tying the franchise record (24 vs. Milwaukee on Oct. 29, 2014)… Tim Duncan passed Gary Payton for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time leaderboard for career regular season minutes played (47,117).

Next Up

The Hornets begin a four-game road trip with a battle against the Nets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22 in Brooklyn, NY. This game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.

Cody Zeller Postgame Twinterview

Following the win against the San Antonio Spurs, the Hornets Cody Zeller sat down to answer your Twitter questions for a post game “Twinterview"