CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Phoenix Suns coach Earl Watson and Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams were teammates on the Utah Jazz from 2012-13.
They remain friends and Watson remembers that time fondly.
"Marv, he's like my brother," Watson said Sunday before the Suns and Hornets played at Spectrum Center. "He's a good person, high-character. Plays the right way, cares. Really good with teammates. Just being in the locker room with him, (I have) great memories. We don't hang out, obviously because we're on different coasts, but every chance we get we catch up. Old soul, young heart. He's a great person."
Watson probably wasn't feeling quite so friendly toward Williams later, not after Williams opened the game by making 4-of-5 3-pointers, jump-starting the Hornets to a 120-106 victory against Watson's struggling Suns.
Phoenix made a game of it for a while in the fourth quarter, going on an 11-0 run to cut Charlotte's lead to 105-101 on a T.J. Warren layup. But the Hornets outscored the Suns 14-5 from there.
The victory was the fourth in five games for the Hornets (33-40), who remain in eighth place in the NBA's Eastern Conference.
Charlotte jumped all over the Suns (22-52), who were playing the fifth of a six-game road trip. Phoenix has lost all five by an average of 14.8 points.
The Hornets got off to a scorching start, thanks mostly to Williams. He hit his first three 3-pointers as Charlotte led 17-1. The Suns didn't score a basket until point guard Tyler Ulis hit a jumper with 8 minutes, 6 seconds left in the first quarter.
