Flat Charlotte Hornets can’t make up the slack during a home loss to the Washington Wizards

This was an odd night for the Charlotte Hornets to look so flat.

The stakes were obvious; beat the Washington Wizards at home and overtake them for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Not that it’s close enough to the regular season’s conclusion to be obsessed with the standings, but this was a winnable game of some consequence.

The Hornets were just not right in the first half, giving up 60 points to trail by 12. The starting backcourt of Kemba Walker and Nic Batum made just three of 16 first-half shots, so the Hornets were lucky to be that close.

Meanwhile, Wizards point guard John Wall was blowing up the Hornets offensively. He scored 18 in the first half. His mid-range jump shot, normally the weakest thing in his offensive skill set, was falling and that was huge trouble.

Now, the Hornets are 0-2 against the Wizards this season. Winning either of the remaining two games clinches the series for Washington and a potential tiebreaker. Remember, the Hornets have already lost a tiebreaker to the Boston Celtics. These things could become big in any chance for the Hornets to have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

I thought the Hornets had figured out what was troubling them defensively during this three-game winning streak, all of which was at the Spectrum Center. Monday’s first half was compelling evidence to the contrary.

The Wizards backcourt of Wall and Bradley Beal is one of the NBA’s best, but that doesn’t totally explain away allowing Washington to shoot 57 percent in the first half.

Hornets coach Steve Clifford frequently used the word “readiness” during his post-game remarks. As in, you can’t show up at home with this lack of readiness against any good team and expect to get by.

The Hornets played better – particularly defensively – during the second half. Batum never did start making shots, but he did a decent job during the fourth quarter of slowing Beal, who finished with 18 points.

After going 0-5 on a recent road trip, the Hornets had to make up serious ground during the current five-game home stand. They are 3-1 during this span, and Wednesday they will get the once-a-season visit from the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry.

Curry always likes putting on a show in his hometown, with his father, Dell, calling the game on television for the Hornets. And this is the first time the Hornets will see the revamped Warriors, with the free-agent addition of forward Kevin Durant.

If the Hornets guard on Wednesday the way they did during the first half Monday, there won’t be much reason to show up after halftime.

This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 10:46 PM with the headline "Flat Charlotte Hornets can’t make up the slack during a home loss to the Washington Wizards."