# Hornets hold off Nets 110-103 in Brooklyn opener

Charlotte rallied after Brooklyn briefly took the lead in the third quarter, then pulled away behind Grayson Allen, Naz Reid and Dennis Schroder to spoil Julius Randle’s Nets debut.

By The Signal Edition | Sports / Basketball
Published: 2026-10-21T23:27:45Z
Updated: 2026-10-22T04:21:52Z
Canonical: https://www.thesignaledition.com/article/hornets-vs-nets-opening-night-1g5mfsf
Image: https://www.thesignaledition.com/media/0c6d8392e09111a7269e140d284040a1.jpg (Brooklyn Nets guard Trendon Watford handles the ball against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate during an earlier game in New York.; credit: AP Photo/Pamela Smith via KSL.com)

## Summary
- Charlotte defeated Brooklyn 110-103 in the Nets’ season opener at Barclays Center on Wednesday.
- Grayson Allen scored 21 points off the bench; Naz Reid had 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
- Julius Randle led all scorers with 33 points in his Brooklyn debut, while Michael Porter Jr. added 26.

## Charlotte finishes the job

The Charlotte Hornets opened their season with a 110-103 road victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, turning an early advantage into a win after the Nets briefly moved in front in the third quarter. The NBA’s final game listing confirms the result, which ended Brooklyn’s home opener and first game of the 2026-27 regular season. Charlotte led 27-23 after the first quarter and 54-48 at halftime, before Brooklyn’s third-quarter surge made it a one-possession contest. [3](https://www.nba.com/game/cha-vs-bkn-0022600087/box-score) [4](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/grayson-allen-naz-reid-power-hornets-past-nets--flm-2026-10-22/)

Brooklyn took its first lead since the opening period, 64-62, on Michael Porter Jr.’s four-point play with 8:12 left in the third. The Nets later tied the game at 72, but Charlotte answered with consecutive 3-pointers from Grayson Allen and carried an 86-81 edge into the fourth. Dennis Schroder scored eight straight Hornets points in the final period, and his drive gave Charlotte a 102-92 cushion with 5:38 remaining. The Nets did not get closer than six in the closing minute. [4](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/grayson-allen-naz-reid-power-hornets-past-nets--flm-2026-10-22/)

## Newcomers make an immediate impact

Allen led Charlotte with 21 points in 29 minutes, making five 3-pointers off the bench. Reid, acquired from Minnesota in the offseason, contributed 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Schroder had 19 points and six assists. Brandon Miller added 18 points and Moussa Diabate scored 17. Charlotte made 15 of 48 attempts from 3-point range and scored 20 second-chance points, helping offset Brooklyn’s slightly better overall shooting percentage. [4](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/grayson-allen-naz-reid-power-hornets-past-nets--flm-2026-10-22/)

Randle’s Brooklyn debut was the game’s highest-scoring performance: he finished with 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Porter scored 26 points and had seven rebounds. They were the only Nets to reach double figures, according to the game report. Brooklyn shot 45 percent from the field and made 12 of 31 3-pointers, but took 12 fewer shots than Charlotte. Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. scored six points in his NBA debut; Keon Ellis and Moritz Wagner each had seven. [4](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/grayson-allen-naz-reid-power-hornets-past-nets--flm-2026-10-22/)

Miller supplied an early lift, scoring 12 points in the opening quarter, including eight consecutive Charlotte points during a stretch that helped the visitors move in front. Diabate’s layup with 1.2 seconds remaining in the second quarter restored the Hornets’ six-point halftime lead. Charlotte’s ability to answer after Brooklyn’s third-quarter run proved decisive, as the visitors rebuilt a two-possession advantage before the final period. [4](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/grayson-allen-naz-reid-power-hornets-past-nets--flm-2026-10-22/)

## Season begins with a narrow margin

The final score converts the evening’s early live update into a completed result: Charlotte began the night ahead 23-21 in the first quarter and ultimately won by seven. The official NBA game page and an independently published Reuters report distributed by Field Level Media agree on the 110-103 score and the principal performances. The Hornets next are scheduled to host Atlanta on Oct. 23; Brooklyn’s next listed game is at Cleveland on Oct. 24. [3](https://www.nba.com/game/cha-vs-bkn-0022600087/box-score) [4](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/grayson-allen-naz-reid-power-hornets-past-nets--flm-2026-10-22/) [2](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/hornets.pdf) [1](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/nets.pdf)

## Reporting sources
1. [Brooklyn Nets / NBA.com: Brooklyn Nets game notes, Oct. 21, 2026](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/nets.pdf) (2026-10-21)
2. [Charlotte Hornets / NBA.com: Charlotte Hornets 2026–27 game notes](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/hornets.pdf) (2026-10-21)
3. [NBA.com: Charlotte Hornets vs Brooklyn Nets Oct. 21, 2026 game summary and box score](https://www.nba.com/game/cha-vs-bkn-0022600087/box-score) (2026-10-21)
4. [Reuters / Field Level Media: Grayson Allen, Naz Reid power Hornets past Nets](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/grayson-allen-naz-reid-power-hornets-past-nets--flm-2026-10-22/) (2026-10-22)