Anchorage’s JT Thor helped bring the Charlotte Hornets back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit Wednesday and made some personal history as well.
The 6-foot-10 forward threw down a dunk and finished with six points in 18 minutes off the bench in a 115-114 victory at Atlanta on a night when he became the fifth Alaskan to surpass the 500-point career benchmark in the NBA.
The third-year player was on the court for the first six minutes of the fourth quarter when the Hornets went on a 20-11 run to get back in the game. Thor had a dunk, rebound and assist in 73 seconds to get Charlotte within 97-92 at the 8:06 mark.
Thor, 21, is a 3-and-D type player who has racked up more 3-pointers (69) and blocked shots (58) in his career than free throws (55).
His playing time has been sporadic all season, but he’s been on the court for longer stretches across the last week as the Hornets (20-60) play out the final string of games to close out the regular season.
Thor logged his most minutes since November last week against Portland and matched his season high with nine points in 27 minutes. His six points last night against Atlanta continued a string of six consecutive appearances with at least one point.
That might not seem like a lot to you, but there have been plenty of nights in his career when Thor played only a handful of minutes and never got to take a shot.
When he does score, it’s usually on a highlight-reel play that goes viral.
THE GOD OF THUNDER JT THOR ⛈️ @thorrjt | @drpepper pic.twitter.com/Cbu8HMqs2A
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) April 5, 2024
His extended minutes have helped him generate one of his more productive months with 25 points in five games. Compare that to March when he had 20 points in 10 appearances, or February when he had six points in eight games. His best month came back in November when he had 50 points in 14 appearances.
The Alaskan looks to keep it going in the final two games of the season Friday at Boston and Sunday at Cleveland.
Thor’s career high of 14 points was set last season when he scored double figures eight times and finished with 262 points in 69 games, both career highs.
Thor is one of seven players from the state to get drafted, one of six to play in the NBA and now one of five to enter the 500-point club.
| POINTS | PLAYER | SCHOOL |
| 13,976 | Carlos Boozer | Juneau |
| 5,743 | Mario Chalmers | Bartlett |
| 760 | Brooks Thompson | Wendler |
| 647 | Trajan Langdon | East |
| 502 | JT Thor | West |
| 330 | Daishen Nix | Mears |