Kemba Walker has one of the best performances of the NBA season in Charlotte Hornets' thumping of Memphis Grizzlies

Jay Asser 20:42 23/03/2018
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Kemba Walker was unstoppable against the Memphis Grizzlies.

    There are blowouts and there’s what the Charlotte Hornets did to the Memphis Grizzlies.

    Charlotte didn’t just trash the Grizzlies, they absolutely obliterated them by a 61-point margin in their 140-79 victory on Thursday.

    It was the first 60-point-or-more win by an NBA team since 1998 and just the sixth in the league’s history.

    When a game is as lopsided as Thursday’s contest was, it’s fair to place blame and criticism on the team that got embarrassed.

    But while Memphis certainly looked hopeless, the Hornets, and particularly Kemba Walker, deserve credit for how dialed-in they were.

    Walker was practically a walking flamethrower, lighting the Grizzlies ablaze for an absurd 46 points in just 28 minutes.

    The Grizzlies defence had its issues – clearly, they allowed 140 points – but Walker was so unconscious it’s possible he would have exploded regardless of who he was playing that night.

    The All-Star guard needed all of 18 shots to get his 46, making 13-of-18 from the field, including a ridiculous 10-of-14 from long range – tying the Golden State WarriorsStephen Curry for most triples in a game this season.

    Walker also made all 10 of his free throws, becoming just the third player in NBA history with at least 10 3s and 10 free throw makes in one game.

    He managed to do it without Dwight Howard around to set him screens or take some of the defence’s attention, as the centre was suspended for the contest after earning his 16th technical foul of the season on Wednesday, the same night he had 32 points and 30 rebounds.

    The Hornets have again underwhelmed this season and are firmly out of the playoff race, but Walker has put together another strong campaign, averaging 22.9 points and 5.7 assists, while shooting 43.1 per cent overall and 39.4 per cent from beyond the arc.

    He’s one of the most gifted scorers around and has an array of moves that allows him to get buckets at all three levels.

    It speaks to the quality of the lead guard position in the league that Walker has never made an All-NBA Team and is near the back-end of the list for the game’s elite.

    Recommended