Bridges Nearly Triple-Doubles, Charlotte’s Transition Defense Doesn’t Get Set Quick Enough
Few teams are playing at the same level as the surging Boston Celtics right now, especially ones dealing with dire injury situations like the Charlotte Hornets. When the two sides met for the second time this season in the Queen City on Monday night, the banged-up hosts just didn’t have the horses to hang with their green adversaries for 48 minutes in a 118-104 home loss.
In their most recent showdown at Spectrum Center back on Nov. 20, the Hornets stunned the Celtics with a game-tying 9-0 run to close regulation, then later stole a three-point overtime victory. Charlotte couldn’t muster any late-game heroics in this one, wiping away its chances of back-to-back wins over Boston for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
The Hornets knocked down nine of their first 13 shots, which helped propel them to a 32-30 lead through the first quarter. That shooting vanished in the second though, as a 0-of-8 mark from 3-point range contributed to a 59-53 halftime hole for the hosts. Capitalizing on a handful of transition opportunities, Boston shot 61.9% and won the ensuing frame by 10, expanding the lead to 95-79. Despite playing hard all the way until the final buzzer sounded, Charlotte never got back within striking distance over the final 12 minutes.
“The fastbreak points are totally misleading,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford. “They only had seven, but they had us on our heels for so many possessions because we just didn’t get ahead of the ball and get our defense set. They’re maybe 10th in fastbreak points, but they get the ball up the floor and into things quickly, and those were our worst possessions tonight. Three minutes left in the third quarter, I think it was eight and then we just blew sets and blew coverages. We had like three minutes there of just totally disorganized NBA basketball.”
Added Grant Williams, “We probably could’ve gotten back a little bit better as a group. They do a great job of kicking the ball ahead to the playmakers. They had their legs, and we’ve got to do a better job of coming into the game with attention to that. In the halfcourt, I thought we guarded them pretty well. They made some tough shots because of how talented they are, but we’ve got to do a better job of making sure we don’t give them the easy ones.”
Miles Bridges tallied game-high totals in points (26 on 10-of-23 shooting) and rebounds (11) to go along with a season-high eight assists. Williams (23), who got the start at center for the injured Nick Richards, and Brandon Miller (19) also had solid scoring outputs. Vasilije Micić (13 points, game-high nine assists) also narrowly missed his second straight double-double.
Boston launched 53 total 3-point attempts – a Charlotte opponent season high – making 19 of them for a 35.8% efficiency. Jayson Tatum (25), Sam Hauser (25) and Kristaps Porziņģis (20) all had 20-point showings in the win, and Derrick White (19) nearly did so, as well. Most of Hauser’s damage came via his seven 3-pointers in only 24 minutes off the bench.
The Hornets will next play host to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, April 3, beginning at 7 PM ET at Spectrum Center. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.
2024-04-01
Hornets Stick With Celtics Early On, Game Slips Away In 2nd Half
Sam Perley, NBA.com/Hornets
Bridges Nearly Triple-Doubles, Charlotte’s Transition Defense Doesn’t Get Set Quick Enough
Few teams are playing at the same level as the surging Boston Celtics right now, especially ones dealing with dire injury situations like the Charlotte Hornets. When the two sides met for the second time this season in the Queen City on Monday night, the banged-up hosts just didn’t have the horses to hang with their green adversaries for 48 minutes in a 118-104 home loss.
In their most recent showdown at Spectrum Center back on Nov. 20, the Hornets stunned the Celtics with a game-tying 9-0 run to close regulation, then later stole a three-point overtime victory. Charlotte couldn’t muster any late-game heroics in this one, wiping away its chances of back-to-back wins over Boston for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
The Hornets knocked down nine of their first 13 shots, which helped propel them to a 32-30 lead through the first quarter. That shooting vanished in the second though, as a 0-of-8 mark from 3-point range contributed to a 59-53 halftime hole for the hosts. Capitalizing on a handful of transition opportunities, Boston shot 61.9% and won the ensuing frame by 10, expanding the lead to 95-79. Despite playing hard all the way until the final buzzer sounded, Charlotte never got back within striking distance over the final 12 minutes.
“The fastbreak points are totally misleading,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford. “They only had seven, but they had us on our heels for so many possessions because we just didn’t get ahead of the ball and get our defense set. They’re maybe 10th in fastbreak points, but they get the ball up the floor and into things quickly, and those were our worst possessions tonight. Three minutes left in the third quarter, I think it was eight and then we just blew sets and blew coverages. We had like three minutes there of just totally disorganized NBA basketball.”
Added Grant Williams, “We probably could’ve gotten back a little bit better as a group. They do a great job of kicking the ball ahead to the playmakers. They had their legs, and we’ve got to do a better job of coming into the game with attention to that. In the halfcourt, I thought we guarded them pretty well. They made some tough shots because of how talented they are, but we’ve got to do a better job of making sure we don’t give them the easy ones.”
Miles Bridges tallied game-high totals in points (26 on 10-of-23 shooting) and rebounds (11) to go along with a season-high eight assists. Williams (23), who got the start at center for the injured Nick Richards, and Brandon Miller (19) also had solid scoring outputs. Vasilije Micić (13 points, game-high nine assists) also narrowly missed his second straight double-double.
Boston launched 53 total 3-point attempts – a Charlotte opponent season high – making 19 of them for a 35.8% efficiency. Jayson Tatum (25), Sam Hauser (25) and Kristaps Porziņģis (20) all had 20-point showings in the win, and Derrick White (19) nearly did so, as well. Most of Hauser’s damage came via his seven 3-pointers in only 24 minutes off the bench.
The Hornets will next play host to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, April 3, beginning at 7 PM ET at Spectrum Center. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.