Dwayne Bacon shows progress, but Charlotte Hornets lose their fourth in a row
Dwayne Bacon is finding his way back, it seems.
After falling out of the starting lineup 10 games into the Charlotte Hornets’ season, Bacon sometimes wasn’t playing at all. Sunday, in a 100-92 road loss to the Phoenix Suns, he scored 24 points, making 10 of his first 15 shots.
Bacon has kept a positive attitude since losing his spot in the rotation. Bacon has been playing more than 20 minutes per game the past five games, eating into minutes for Malik Monk and rookie Cody Martin.
Nine other observations on Sunday’s game:
▪ A combination of turnovers -- three in the last four minutes -- and giving up offensive rebounds kept the Hornets from taking back the lead late.
▪ Terry Rozier has been by far the Hornets’ best offensive player of late, averaging over 27 points in his previous four games, but Sunday he missed nine of his first 10 shots and scored just five points. Coach James Borrego subbed him out midway through the fourth quarter to get Bacon back into the game.
▪ The first quarter was among the best defensive efforts of the season by the Hornets; they held the Suns to 8-of-23 shooting and four assists. The Suns are the NBA’s top assist team, averaging nearly 23 per game.
▪ A lot of that quality early defense was better ball-pressure along the perimeter. Borrego adjusted his defense this season, concentrating more on rim-protection, conceding some run-outs on 3-point shooters, but Sunday looked stronger out by the arc.
▪ A different Hornets rotation Sunday: Nic Batum, who didn’t play in seven consecutive games before being used Friday against the Utah Jazz, was the first substitute. Batum guarded Suns start Devin Booker much of the first half, using his 6-foot-8 height to cut off some of Booker’s shooting looks and passing lanes.
▪ Booker made just three of his 12 shots, but a pull-up 3 in the fourth quarter felt big in sustaining Phoenix’s lead.
▪ With Batum playing, power forward Marvin Williams didn’t in the first half. Williams recently missed two games following a procedure on a nasal fracture, but him staying on the bench first half was not injury-related.
▪ The Hornets lost their fourth consecutive game. Neither of the last two games on this West Coast trip -- in Portland Monday on the second game of a back-to-back and at Denver Wednesday -- looks promising for a victory.
▪ Bismack Biyombo continues to be a big surprise for the Hornets -- in the midst of a youth movement, the eight-season veteran center continues not only to start, but make significant contributions. He had six rebounds in that first quarter, when the Hornets built a 14-point lead. He looks far more confident as a target for passes at the offensive end.
