Charlotte didn’t leave much room for drama Saturday night. After a steady first half, the Hornets detonated out of halftime with a 38-point third quarter and steamrolled the Memphis Grizzlies, 124-101, at Spectrum Center.

The result fit the trajectory of both teams. Charlotte entered at 37-34 and playing winning basketball (WWWLW). Memphis arrived at 24-46 and searching for traction (LLWLL). By the end of the third, the game had been decided.

Game flow: close early, gone after halftime

Memphis hung around early, but Charlotte kept control of the scoreboard from the jump. The Hornets won the first quarter 30-26, then added separation in the second, 29-21, to take a 59-47 lead into the break.

Any hope of a response disappeared in the third. Charlotte won the quarter 38-28, turning a 12-point halftime edge into a commanding 22-point lead heading to the fourth. From there, the Hornets simply managed the game, taking the final period 27-26 to close out the 23-point win.

Ball movement edge: Charlotte’s 25 assists set the tone

The assist numbers told a clean story of offensive organization. Charlotte finished with 25 assists to Memphis’ 20, a gap that showed up most in the third-quarter surge when the Hornets consistently generated clean looks and kept the Grizzlies in rotation.

Without field-goal and three-point makes/attempts available, the clearest indicator of execution was the way Charlotte’s offense stayed connected possession-to-possession. The Hornets didn’t need a late-game heater; they built the win with sustained playmaking and a decisive post-halftime punch.

Turning point: the third-quarter avalanche

Charlotte’s 38-point third quarter was the separator. Memphis scored 28 in the period — not a collapse offensively — but it couldn’t keep pace with the Hornets’ tempo and precision. That stretch flipped the game from “manageable deficit” to “must-play-perfect,” and Memphis never got it back within striking distance.

What it means going forward

For Charlotte, the win is another steadying data point in a strong finish to the regular season. At 38-34 after the final horn, the Hornets continue to bank results against teams below them in the standings — the kind of night that matters when the margins tighten late in March.

For Memphis, now 24-47, the challenge remains consistency across four quarters. The Grizzlies were competitive early, but the third-quarter gap underscored how quickly games can tilt when opponents raise their level and your margin for error is thin.

Final score

Hornets 124, Grizzlies 101

Quarter-by-quarter

MEM: 26 | 21 | 28 | 26 — 101
CHA: 30 | 29 | 38 | 27 — 124