• @pobautistaOPM
    1•10 months ago

    2024-02-02

    Hornets’ Defense Picked Apart By Thunder In Sixth Straight Loss

    Sam Perley, NBA.com/Hornets

    Miller Notches Another 20-PT Game, Oklahoma City Shoots 59% Over Wire-to-Wire Win

    It was Groundhog Day on the calendar and unfortunately for the Charlotte Hornets, it was also Groundhog Day again on the court in Friday night’s 126-106 road loss to Oklahoma City.

    Brandon Miller nearly matched his career high for the second time this week, totaling 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting – 5-of-8 from 3-point range – four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in the loss. This was Miller’s third consecutive 20-point showing, seventh in his past nine outings and the 13th overall of rookie season.

    Oklahoma City raced out to a double-digit lead less than six minutes in and won the opening frame 39-19, good for Charlotte’s second-largest deficit after the first quarter this season. By halftime, the Thunder had converted 18-of-20 paint attempts (90.0%) and 9-of-18 from 3-point range (50.0%), fueling its 31-point advantage. The Hornets had some better patches of play over the final two quarters, but never came close to mounting any sort of serious comeback attempt.

    “Oklahoma City is balanced,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford, following the team’s sixth loss in a row. “They’re top-five in both offense and defense. They have a way to play. Our guys have to get refreshed, and we’ve got to get off to a better start on Sunday.”

    Bryce McGowens scored a season-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, Nick Smith Jr. added 12 points and Leaky Black set a new career best with 11 points (3-of-3 from 3-point range). Charlotte drained 14-of-31 from 3-point range (45.2%; highest percentage since Jan. 19) but missed 14 shots at the rim (11-of-25) and 27 overall inside the paint (25-of-52).

    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was masterful for Oklahoma City, registering his ninth straight 30-point game (31 on 11-of-15 shooting) and league-leading 37th of the season, along with nine assists, five steals and three blocks in only 30 minutes. Chet Holmgren added 16 points and two blocks, while fellow rookie Cason Wallace chipped in 12 points starting in place of Jalen Williams.

    Oklahoma City’s 58.7% field-goal percentage was the fourth-highest mark by a Hornets’ opponent this season, and highest since Phoenix shot 62.2% on Dec. 29. Within OKC’s efficient shooting was a 16-of-20 clip at the rim (80.0%) and a 17-of-36 mark from behind the 3-point line (47.2%). With the win, the Thunder snapped a five-game losing streak to Charlotte.

    The Hornets will now begin another three-game homestand against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, Feb. 4 starting at 6 PM ET at Spectrum Center. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.

  • @pobautistaOPM
    1•10 months ago

    2024-02-04

    Miller Rattles Rookie Record, Hornets’ Fortunes Flip In 3rd Quarter Again

    Sam Perley, NBA.com/Hornets

    Charlotte Has Another Lethargic Start, Defense Holds Up Against NBA’s Top-Ranked Offense

    A spectacular performance by rookie Brandon Miller served as a major bright spot for the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night, following their 115-99 home loss to the Indiana Pacers.

    Twice within the past week, Miller has finished a field goal shy of notching his first career 30-point game. He finally blew right past that threshold in this one, tallying 35 points (17 in the third) on 10-of-25 shooting, five 3-pointers, six rebounds, and two blocks in 38 minutes. Miller’s point total was the most by a Charlotte rookie since April 16, 1993 (Alonzo Mourning), two shy of tying the franchise rookie record of 37 and makes him the third rookie in team history to have a 35-point game, per Basketball Reference (Mourning, Rex Chapman).

    Down to only one true point guard and still missing a lot of spacing, Charlotte’s offense was sluggish from the get-go, making only 5-of-25 shots for a season-low 13 first-quarter points. The scoring soon revved up though, and the Hornets got back to within four by the 8:33 mark of the third. Indiana responded with a decisive 28-8 run and though the Hornets then immediately countered with a 14-0 stretch, they never got the deficit back under double digits again.

    “We had a couple turnovers that hurt us,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford, on Indiana’s third-quarter run. “To me, the biggest thing is when we’re moving the ball and we’re not trying to play iso, which we’re not good at, we’re pretty good offensively. There’s just too many possessions it doesn’t happen.”

    When broached about Miller’s big night, Clifford added, “It doesn’t surprise me. He works hard, he’s very diligent and that’s the way it works. He’s got a lot of talent. He’s getting better for the right reasons. He’s being double-teamed now, and he did a good job against that, passing out of it. I think he’ll get better and better.”

    PJ Washington (22 points; 11 in the second quarter), Miles Bridges (19 points) and Nick Richards (12 points) also crossed into double figures for Charlotte, which lost its seventh consecutive game and sixth in a row at home. Richards managed to grab a team-high 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the campaign. After missing their first 11 3-point attempts, the Hornets finished 8-of-29 from deep (27.6%) and dished out only 18 assists overall.

    Recent newcomer Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with a team-high 25 points on 11-of-20 shooting, eight rebounds, nine assists and a game-best plus-30 plus-minus. Aaron Nesmith (22) also managed a 20-point game, while All-Star starter Tyrese Haliburton added another 17 points playing his fourth straight game with a minutes restriction (20:17; didn’t play the final quarter). Interestingly, this Indiana victory, which snapped a three-game skid, is only its second of the season when scoring 115-or-fewer points (now 2-13).

    The Hornets will finish off their all-home back-to-back against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, Feb. 5 beginning at 7 PM ET at Spectrum Center. Catch all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.

  • @pobautistaOPM
    1•9 months ago

    2024-02-05

    Bridges, Miller Both Go Off In Valiant Comeback Effort Against Lakers

    Sam Perley, NBA.com/Hornets

    Charlotte Nearly Erases 21-PT Deficit; Los Angeles Scores 74 in Paint, Makes 35 Shots at Rim

    Sensational showings from both Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller helped the Charlotte Hornets almost erase a 21-point second half hole in Monday night’s 124-118 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

    Bridges set a career high with 41 points on 16-of-26 shooting, five 3-pointers, and four assists in the loss, Charlotte’s eight straight. And right after establishing his own new career best 24 hours earlier, Miller followed up with 33 points on 13-of-25 shooting, five 3-pointers, three assists and four steals, becoming the first rookie in team history with back-to-back 30-point games.

    Unlike Sunday night’s loss to Indiana, Charlotte’s offense was clicking right away in this one, making its first five shots in an efficient 58-point first half. The problem, by far, was on the defensive end, as the Lakers used their size and cutting to score 74 points (44 in the paint) on 64% shooting across the first two quarters. Los Angeles got its lead to 21 with 2:02 remaining in the third, but thanks to Bridges and Miller, the Hornets slowly started chipping away.

    About 13 minutes later, Los Angeles’ cushion had shrunk down to four, with Miller scoring Charlotte’s past 12 points to make it a 117-113 game. Still up four with 33 seconds to go, Anthony Davis blocked Bridges’ step-back 3-point attempt, and the defensive board was then wrangled by Austin Reaves. Los Angeles hit all four of its ensuing free throws to ice the game.

    “They crushed us in the paint,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford, when asked about the team’s first-half performance. “It was individual defense, they scored on a ton of cuts, and then it was their post-ups. In the second half, we were just super aggressive, gambled more, double-teamed a lot more. It worked. It got our aggressiveness up and we guarded the ball better in the second half. We played a really good second half.”

    Added Bridges, “Playing with Brandon, he’s a monster man. He’s going to be great. Great in the future – not good, great. It felt good playing with B-Mill and setting up some looks for him and it felt good for me to see some shots go down.”

    PJ Washington (15) and Bryce McGowens (10) both scored in double figures off the bench. Charlotte committed only nine turnovers for nine opposing points, dished out 25 assists (18 on Sunday night) and shot 49% from the field (13-of-32 from 3-point range; 40.6%). Defensively though, the Hornets’ smaller lineups conceded a whopping 78 paint points on 79.6% shooting (39-of-49), which included 35 made buckets at the rim (35-of-42; 83.3%).

    D’Angelo Russell (28), LeBron James (26) and Davis (26) all had at least 25 points for the Lakers, who shot 56.2% overall and have now won three consecutive games for the first time since early December. Davis also added a game-high 15 rebounds and a career-high-tying 11 assists for his third career triple-double, two of which have come this season. With the victory, Los Angeles moved its record to 9-2 against the Hornets since the start of the 2018-19 NBA campaign.

    The Hornets will conclude their three-game homestand against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Feb. 7 beginning at 7 PM ET at Spectrum Center. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.

  • @pobautistaOPM
    1•9 months ago

    2024-02-07

    Bridges Resets Career High, Hornets Drop Ninth Straight Game

    Sam Perley, NBA.com/Hornets

    Charlotte’s 15-PT Lead Slips Away in 2nd Half; Toronto Rides Fast-Break, Second-Chance Points

    A second straight 40-plus-point performance courtesy of Miles Bridges still wasn’t enough for the Charlotte Hornets to evade a 123-117 home loss to Toronto on Wednesday evening, which extended their losing streak to nine games.

    Two nights after his then career-high 41 points, Bridges topped that mark with 45 points on 17-of-27 shooting, six 3-pointers, eight rebounds and seven assists in the defeat. This made Bridges just the third different player in franchise history with back-to-back 40-point games in the same season (Glen Rice 2x, Kemba Walker), and the third to ever reach 45 points in a single game (Walker 6x, Rice), per Basketball Reference.

    Charlotte shot 67% and outscored Toronto, 36-27, in the opening frame, securing its first lead at the end of the first quarter since Jan. 24 (tied for team’s second largest of the season, too). Later, coming out of halftime with the Hornets now up six, Bridges caught fire and sank 9-of-10 shots for 21 points, though the team’s cushion stayed the same heading into the fourth.

    Toronto ripped off a 15-5 run to open the closing quarter, but the Hornets immediately countered with a 9-4 spurt to retake a 113-110 lead with 4:45 left on the clock. The Raptors would volley right back though, launching a 13-4 stretch to end the game. RJ Barrett’s go-ahead right corner 3-pointer at the 2:33 mark and a second-chance tip-in by Jakob Poeltl in the final 90 seconds stood out as two especially decisive baskets in clutch time.

    Though the Raptors had runs to open and close the fourth, Hornets Head Coach Clifford Steve Clifford said the game swung in the third quarter, when the team led by as many as 15 points. “In the first half, we defended well. They had two fastbreak points at halftime, and three second-chance points. In the second half, they had 10 second-chance points and eight fastbreak points. You’ve got to take care of those areas. The other part is, we’ve got to keep playing the same offense. The ball’s got to move and hit the paint.”

    Brandon Miller (20) notched his sixth straight 20-point game, tying Alonzo Mourning for the second-longest streak by a rookie in franchise history, per Basketball Reference. Back from a two-game absence, Cody Martin recorded a season-high 19 points, five rebounds and a season-high-tying eight assists, while Bryce McGowens added another 10 points off the bench. Charlotte scored only 40 paint points on 55.6% shooting (20-of-36) and sank a somewhat costly 13-of-20 shots from the free-throw line (65%).

    All five Toronto starters – Barrett (23), Scottie Barnes (18), Immanuel Quickley (18), Gary Trent Jr. (14) and Poeltl (12) – scored in double figures, while two reserves in Dennis Schröder (16) and Bruce Brown (12) did so, as well. The Raptors shot 53.1% and 51.5% (17-of-33) from 3-point range to become the 13th opponent in the past 16 games to shoot at least 50% against Charlotte.

    The Hornets will start another back-to-back on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, Feb. 9 beginning at 8 PM ET. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.

  • @pobautistaOPM
    1•9 months ago

    Quick recap for February games, because I got lazy from updating this post the whole month: