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Dwight Howard

Hornets' Dwight Howard notches 30-point, 30-rebound game in win against Nets

USA TODAY Sports

Dwight Howard became the first player in seven seasons to have a game with 30 points and 30 rebounds during the Charlotte Hornets' 111-105 victory against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Wednesday.

Hornets center Dwight Howard puts up a shot against Nets center Jarrett Allen during the first quarter at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Howard finished with 32 points and a franchise-record 30 rebounds, grabbing his final board off a missed layup with 1.5 seconds left in the game. Howard had 19 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards.

Howard said he was sluggish in the first half and credited a mid-game text message from a friend with providing motivation to play better.

"I just thought that my energy and effort wasn’t where it needed to be for our team to be successful," Howard said. "Got a text at halftime from somebody and it kind of got me motivated and gave me some extra energy."

 

Kevin Love was the last player to accomplish the 30-30 feat, doing it against the New York Knicks on Nov. 12, 2010 with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Howard is the eighth player in league history with a 30-30 game and the first to notch one against the Nets since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Feb. 3, 1978.

"I mean, that’s great to be named with someone like Kareem," Howard said. "It’s one of the guys I looked up to growing up, him and Wilt Chamberlain."

Howard helped Charlotte overcome a 23-point second-half deficit for the win.

"Never been part of something like that," said teammate Kemba Walker. "It was incredible. Yeah, it was incredible to see those kinds of numbers and be a part of it. Yeah, it was crazy."

Contributing: Associated Press.

 

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