Hornets vs Rockets live: LaMelo starts hot in Houston as Charlotte edge early lead

The first minutes are flying in at Toyota Center, and hornets vs rockets live already looks like a pace-and-space shootout. Status: Live — late 1st quarter on Thursday, February 5, 2026 (local). We’ll keep the scoreboard and timeline rolling play-by-play as the action unfolds.

Score & Status — hornets vs rockets live

• Status: Live (late 1st)

• Score: Hornets 29–24 Rockets

• Venue: Toyota Center, Houston

Tipoff (Time Zones)

• USA (ET) — Thursday, Feb 5, 2026, 8:00 PM

• USA (PT) — Thursday, Feb 5, 2026, 5:00 PM

• Canada (Toronto) — Thursday, Feb 5, 2026, 8:00 PM

• UK (London) — Friday, Feb 6, 2026, 1:00 AM

Live Timeline (Key Moments)

• 10:30 1Q — LaMelo Ball wiggles into the lane for an early floater as Charlotte set the tone with dribble penetration.

• 9:20 1Q — Alperen Şengün answers with a touch at the rim; Houston trying to punch holes via short-roll reads.

• 8:37 1Q — Miles Bridges draws a foul, splits, then cans a two on the next trip to nudge the Hornets ahead.

• 8:22 1Q — Şengün again at the cup; Rockets settle after a timeout and get downhill.

• 8:13 1Q — LaMelo floats another runner; Charlotte’s advantage pushes to two possessions.

• 1:00–0:30 1Q — Kevin Durant heats briefly with a pull-up three, trimming the gap, but the Hornets close the period up 29–24.

Standout Performers & Turning Points

• LaMelo Ball — quick seven out of the gates, mixing paint touches and touch shots; his tempo control is dictating early possessions.

• Miles Bridges — physicality on drives and on the glass gives Charlotte second-chance looks and early free throws.

• Alperen Şengün — Houston’s best source of efficient offense in the first stanza, scoring as a roller and drawing contact.

• Kevin Durant — cold start from mid-range but a late-quarter three steadied Houston; watch if he shifts to more elbow touches.

• Swing factor — Turnovers vs. pace: if Charlotte keeps live-ball giveaways down while running off misses, the Hornets can keep Houston chasing in transition during hornets vs rockets live.

Lineups & Shape (confirmed)

• Charlotte Hornets (5-out/drive-kick look): LaMelo Ball; Kon Knueppel; Brandon Miller; Miles Bridges; Moussa Diabaté.

• Houston Rockets (spread PnR + elbow actions): Amen Thompson; Josh Okogie; Kevin Durant; Jabari Smith Jr.; Alperen Şengün.

Match Stats (early snapshot)

(Numbers above are live and will swing quickly as we update.)

What It Means — hornets vs rockets live

Charlotte entered surging and hasn’t blinked on the road, leaning on Ball’s creation and Bridges’ force to seize a first-frame edge. For Houston, getting Durant to his spots and keeping Şengün involved as a hub should stabilize shot quality. If the Rockets trim the turnover gap and win the defensive glass, they can tilt the efficiency battle back at home. Expect crunch-time shot-making to decide it if this pace holds — hornets vs rockets live rarely lacks late drama.

For Upcoming Matches (preview mode only)

• Form (last 5): Hornets trending upward behind balanced scoring; Rockets juggling a heavy workload and health absences.

• Injuries/Suspensions (notable): Houston short-handed in spots; Charlotte monitoring depth pieces.

• Prediction (live context): Houston can flip this with second-unit energy and Durant’s mid-range rhythm, but Charlotte’s early control of tempo and rim pressure is the difference so far.