Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) dunks over Brooklyn Nets center Mo Wagner (13) during the teams’ season opener Wednesday.
Brad Penner
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
The Charlotte Hornets beat Brooklyn, 110-103, for their sixth straight opening-night win.Naz Reid posted 20 points, 11 rebounds and a team-high seven assists in his Hornets debut.4 other Hornets scored at least 17 points in win (Miller, Allen, Diabate and Schroder).
In the first half, Brandon Miller’s contract extension looked like money well-spent.
In the second half, the Charlotte Hornets’ newcomers made their own big impact.
The result for the Hornets: a 110-103 victory in Game 1 of 82, playing on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.
Miller had 17 first-half points and looked like the best player on the floor for much of that time against Brooklyn. But he went ice-cold in the second half, only scoring one more point to finish with 18.
That didn’t matter as much because new Hornets Naz Reid (20 points, 11 rebounds and a team-high seven assists), Grayson Allen (21 points) and Dennis Schroder (19 points, six assists) were all making memorable debuts for the Hornets. This was a team win in the truest sense, one that showcased the Hornets’ increased depth.
On Monday, Miller had signed a five-year, $209 million contract extension. Teammates celebrated with a cake for him on the team plane to Brooklyn.
Only 23, Miller is somehow the longest-tenured player for these revamped Hornets, who brought in all sorts of new blood in the offseason.
The whole Hornets lineup looked pretty strange Wednesday. Not only were LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges absent after high-profile summertime trades, but returnees Kon Knueppel and Coby White were also missing because of injury. Knueppel (hamstring) and White (calf) both will be back in the starting lineup when they get healthy — the Hornets have indicated neither injury is terribly serious.
But this cobbled-together group did just fine Wednesday, albeit against a Brooklyn team that isn’t very good and went 20-62 a season ago.
Hornets guard Grayson Allen (8) led the team in scoring with 21 points in his debut for Charlotte, including five three-pointers. Brad Penner IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It was the sixth straight opening-night win for the Hornets, but don’t put too much stock in that. In the previous five years, they were 5-0 in season openers and 0-for-5 in making the playoffs.
Allen was key off the bench for Charlotte, showing the form that has made him one of the NBA’s best three-point shooters in recent years. The former Duke star was 5 for 8 from the three-point line, drilling a couple from Steph Curry range.
Reid was truly impressive in all facets and a guy Hornets fans are really going to like. He’s unselfish, he’s physical, and he can do a little bit of everything. Until Wednesday, I didn’t understand how good a passer he is — he looks over the top and finds guys everywhere. And Schroder, a 14-year veteran, seemed ageless with his repeated drives to the basket for layups as the Nets underestimated his speed, over and over.
Also among those who looked good for the Hornets: center Moussa Diabate, whose 17 points included six dunks. He added eight rebounds.
Charlotte’s Moussa Diabate (14) throws down one of his six dunks Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets. Brad Penner IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It was Miller who set an early tone with a tomahawk dunk for his first basket of the game, and he continued to be the Hornets’ top scoring option for the entire half.
I will say this too: It was a pleasure to be able to watch this game on free, over-the-air TV on WSOC. That’s going to be one of the best things about this season — the preponderance of Hornets games on local TV.
Hornets-Nets Notes
Sion James started for the Hornets but didn’t have a great game. He was 1 for 7 from the field but did have a big three in the fourth quarter. … Soccer legend David Beckham and actor Ethan Hawke were in the crowd in Brooklyn … Former UNC and Nets star Vince Carter addressed the crowd before the game. … The Hornets are scheduled to have rap artist Petey Pablo perform at halftime of their home opener Friday night, against Atlanta. … The Nets’ Julius Randle led all scorers with 33 points.
This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 10:41 PM.
The Charlotte Observer
Columnist Scott Fowler has written for The Charlotte Observer since 1994 and has earned 26 APSE awards for his sportswriting. He hosted The Observer’s podcast “Carruth,” which Sports Illustrated once named “Podcast of the Year.” Fowler also conceived and hosted the online series and podcast “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” which featured 1-on-1 interviews with NC and SC sports icons and was turned into a book. He occasionally writes about non-sports subjects, such as the 5-part series “9/11/74,” which chronicled the forgotten plane crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 in Charlotte on Sept. 11, 1974.
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