LaMelo Ball sets another new career best mark. What we learned in Hornets’ win over Indiana
.JPG "Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) reacts after making a 3-point basket against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)")
Something is slowly happening on Trade Street.
Inside the Spectrum Center over the past week, the atmosphere has been unmistakably electric. Many in attendance are standing on their feet in the closing minutes, screaming through their facemasks at a fever pitch.
“Well, it’s felt very special in the last recent games,” coach James Borrego said. “You can feel the energy of the crowd. There’s great momentum with this team. You can feel that. This is the most energy I’ve felt in this city since I’ve been here. The fans are jacked up. They’re into it.
“But we have to build our home court. Our group has to take pride in playing at home. We want this to be a hostile environment. That’s the goal here, and we’re building towards it. We’re not there, but we’re building towards it. … So I know our guys are excited to play in front of their home crowd. This is the best they’ve felt in front of this environment in Charlotte.”
If the Hornets play like they did for the bulk of their four-game home stand, it might become even more commonplace. Keyed by a combined 57 points from LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward, the Hornets edged Indiana 121-118 on Friday night.
By holding on after nearly squandering a 25-point edge, the Hornets (10-7) extended their winning streak to five games, marking the first time they’ve rattled off that many in a row since doing it from Feb. 14-27, 2018 wrapped around the All-Star break. They’re also now 6-2 in their friendly confines.
“Yeah, we love playing at home,” Hayward said. “The fans give us a huge boost of energy. It’s electric and it’s fun basketball. When the crowd is into it, especially when we are down, helping us kind of fight back, claw back. That’s when you really can lean on them for that energy, that boost. So we need the crowd, but we won’t be here with them for a little bit of time so we are going to have to bring our own energy.”
Here are three things we learned in the Hornets’ victory.
ABOUT THAT FOURTH QUARTER
A 25-point third-quarter advantage dwindled down to three in the final seconds, and things were slipping away from the Hornets. They initially remained calm, didn’t get flustered and rush shots, instead making sure they were a little more methodical in their approach.
They seized control again with a 14-2 run before yielding an 18-4 one to the Pacers. It’s a sign they still have to get better at closing the opposition out after the struggles they experienced earlier in the season and during their five-game losing streak that preceded their current winning stretch.
“Just being locked in at the end,” Ball said of what he can take from the game. “A couple bad plays from me and a couple of our other players. So, probably just watch the film, lock in on that and take it to the next games.”
Time and score just wasn’t heeded enough and the Hornets sped things up instead of slowing down. They were lucky it didn’t cost them in the end.
“We’re obviously still a young team and it’s something that you kind of have to experience,” Hayward said. “And so this was a good experience. We obviously didn’t execute how we wanted to and certainly a lot of learning moments, but I think credit to them. They mucked it up and they did a really good job of fighting back, clawing back.”
Said Borrego: “There’s a few things we’ve got to correct down the stretch and we’ll deal with that.”
BALL ON POINT
LaMelo Ball’s shot was on essentially from the opening tip. and he rode the touch to a career-best 21 points in the first half, the most he’s totaled through two quarters. Nine quick first-quarter points got him going, and he really ignited the Hornets by posting his fifth double-double of the season with 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Ball accounted for 63.6% of the Hornets’ offense in the second quarter alone, netting 12 points, recording four assists and nine points created off his passes. Once he was inserted back in the lineup with the score knotted at 37-37 midway through the second quarter, he sparked a 23-9 run with his step-back shots from deep, swooping drives into the lane and precise feeds to his teammates.
“I feel like I just played the game,” Ball said. “I picked and chose my spots. Hitting threes and floaters and stuff. Yeah, I was just picking my spots. Letting the game come to me.”
SHARING IS CARING
Even though they have several playmakers who can create their own shot, the Hornets are at their best when the ball is moving and flowing freely from side to side. If they are playing a little too much one-on-one they get into trouble.
Against the Pacers, the Hornets racked up 28 assists on their 44 field goals. While it didn’t top the season-high 36 they amassed in their win over Portland on Halloween, it had that same kind of feel. The Hornets assisted on 13 of their initial 23 field goals and stockpiled 22 through three quarters.
“Ball movement was big,” Ball said. “People were setting screens and rolling, hitting them and hitting the corners. So yeah ball movement was nice.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 9:52 PM.
