No one knows which version of the Hornets will show up. That’s scary for everybody
.JPG "Charlotte Hornets’ Kelly Oubre Jr. reacts after making a three point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)")
They were coming off a brutally lethargic defeat. The team they were facing was still on the rise, climbing the Eastern Conference standings while the Hornets instead floundered.
It’s a combination that felt ripe for a rough end to their mini two-game road trip.
But these are the Charlotte Hornets we’re talking about. Just when you think you have them pegged, they pull something akin to what transpired in Wednesday night’s impressive 119-98 win over Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Maybe this one can be chalked up to bad memories. There was no amnesia for the Hornets, not after the wild outcome against the Cavaliers in Charlotte last month that had them bewildered thanks to some botched calls by the officials, only made worse when the league’s two-minute report was released less than 24 hours later.
“Oh, I remembered it like it was yesterday, man,” Kelly Oubre said. “Jarrett Allen had 29 and 22 and he put up some (NBA) 2K numbers on us. So we kind of used that as fuel and motivation to just try to come out there, and take care of the glass as much as possible and try to be more physical.”
Pounding the Cavaliers is one thing. Doing it with your All-Star riddled in foul trouble and mostly glued to the bench after logging just eight total minutes — five in the first half when he was saddled with the fouls — and not playing a tick in the fourth quarter is something else. LaMelo Ball’s foul woes weren’t even an issue.
Undaunted after losing two straight, including a 24-point loss in Milwaukee two nights earlier, not only did the Hornets (31-33) lead by as many as 24 points in the third quarter, when the Cavaliers whittled the gap to 12 points in the fourth, Charlotte showed no signs of panic. Shots weren’t rushed. Turnovers didn’t begin to rack up. Anxiety never became an issue.
They took the cue from their resident Northeast Ohio native, who feasts whenever he’s playing the team he grew up rooting for.
“S---, I’m at home,” Hornets guard Terry Rozier said. “I’m with my people. I get to see my kids and just relax. So I grew up around here, came to a lot of games when I was young. So it means a lot for me to be successful in this building, and see my people when I look over to the sideline and see them right there in attendance.”
And they got to watch the victorious version of the unpredictable Hornets, who’re about as up-and-down as any team in the league. Anyone who has followed them closely this season is aware of their reputation. No one knows which rendition of the Hornets will jog out of the locker room.
For every victory such as the one against Cleveland, there’s a loss — or two or four — to a bottom-feeder like Detroit. Or better yet, for every solid quarter, a rough one comes soon after more often than not. But that wasn’t the case Wednesday on a night Isaiah Thomas made his debut after inking a 10-day contract earlier in the day. They even out-rebounded Cleveland by eight.
“Just putting together a 48-minute performance,” Oubre said. “We’ve had a lot of games this year where we put together a good 24 minutes and couldn’t close out in the last 24. So tonight the emphasis was stick to the game plan for 48 minutes.”
That must be adhered to in each of their remaining 18 games. The Hornets are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference heading into Thursday night’s action and there isn’t much of a margin for error if they want to secure a playoff spot. More victories mirroring what happened against the Cavaliers are a must.
And to reiterate, the Hornets did it with Ball serving mostly as a cheerleading spectator.
“Obviously, we missed Melo,” coach James Borrego said. “He’s a big part of what we do here. But next man up and guys stepped up. It was Terry, it was I.T., it was other guys that just stepped up, played big minutes to get this win. But I expect Melo to respond, come back better Saturday night. He should be rested. So he’ll have some fresh legs for Saturday night.”
That’s the next opportunity to figure out if the Hornets will deviate from their most recent lesson learned when they host San Antonio. In the meantime, at least for one night, they had something to help improve their psyche.
“It does a lot,” Rozier said. “It does a lot for us. Now we move on. We’ve got a good one on (Saturday) so now we just build off this. It’s just a great start for us to get in the win column.”
