Early start, early struggles as Hornets fall to Wizards. What we learned in Charlotte’s loss
Maybe the Charlotte Hornets’ struggles began with the earlier tip off time, which came 10 minutes quicker than normal because the NBA purposefully staggered its games on the eve before election day.
Perhaps their tough start stemmed from once again not having All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball, who’s now closing in on a dozen games missed as he works his way back from a sprained left ankle.
Whatever the reason, the Hornets looked rather lifeless at the outset of their matchup with Washington on Monday night. Considering they were skidding, having dropped four straight and six of seven, the slow start was a bit of a head-scratcher.
Although they eventually picked it up and clawed back into a game that featured 14 lead changes, the Hornets never got it going long enough offensively and fell to the Wizards, 108-100, at Spectrum Center. Consider it another valuable lesson for a shorthanded team trying to keep it together until its health improves.
“Whenever that happens and teams get rhythms early, they carry that rhythm and that confidence throughout the whole game,” said Kelly Oubre who poured in 20 points. “It doesn’t matter who you are playing against. For us, it’s just a level of maturity that we have to take that next step and get ourselves up each and every day – if it’s after a back-to-back or it’s after an off day.
“Come and prepare ourselves as if we are fresh and ready to go hoop like on a normal day. So, nothing changes. Nobody feels sorry for us, obviously. So, we can’t sit here and feel sorry for ourselves.”
Here’s what we learned in the Hornets fifth straight defeat:
Cold cuts
To say the Hornets (3-8) were a bit chilly from the floor is an understatement.
Although they canned 41.6% of their shot attempts, it certainly felt worse than that, likely due to their atrocious display from 3-point range. They misfired on their first 12 shots beyond the 3-point arc and made 5 of 32 overall — a number that actually improved after a 1-for-13 first half.
Offensively, the Hornets never found a sustainable rhythm and were stagnant too often. The were especially off in the second half, producing buckets on only 22 of 55 attempts.
“That happens some nights,’” said PJ Washington, who led them with 25 points. “Some nights you make them all, some nights you miss them all. Some nights, some of them go in, some of them don’t. That’s just the game of basketball.”
DSJ toughs it out
Dennis Smith Jr. apparently had no plans to join the Hornets’ walking wounded.
Despite sitting out for most of Saturday night after suffering a sprained left ankle and being listed as questionable, Smith Jr. started his ninth straight game. And he was his usual, steady self.
Smith Jr. posted three points, 10 assists and five rebounds in 34 minutes, not displaying any noticeable effects of his injury. Still, his shot was off like most of his teammates and he made 1 of 11 attempts.
But Smith Jr. tied his career high in blocks with three before the action even hit the midway point in the third quarter and also had an impressive reverse baseline dunk.
“We are a different team we he can play,” coach Steve Clifford said. “Just because of his defense. He just sets a tone. One of the reasons we had a good second quarter was we scored off our defense. And he was right in the middle of that.”
Reverse bully ball
Washington (5-6) made a concerted effort to get the ball inside from the get-go, scoring six of its initial nine points in the paint. It seemed like it was going to be a long evening on the interior for the Hornets.
But they flipped he script on the Hornets and utilized a little bully ball to climb back into it and grab a two-point advantage at halftime. The 36 points in the paint through two quarters represented the Hornets’ season-best total for a half, and it was fueled by a 22-point second quarter inside, which was their top output in a 12-minute span all season.
The Hornets finished with a 70-58 cushion in points in the paint.
“To me, that’s one of the bigger keys in the NBA,” Clifford said. “You can say shot-making is the most important thing and how you shoot the ball. But so much of that starts with getting the ball through the basket. And looking at it, we’ve actually done a good with that through the 11 games so far.”
And it’s imperative for that mentality to continue.
“We’ve just got to build on it,” Washington said. “Keep being aggressive getting into the paint and creating. Sometimes it layups, sometimes it’s kick out threes. That’s just basketball. It just comes with it.”
Could use more from Thor
JT Thor’s shooting numbers haven’t been very good this season, but Clifford isn’t sweating it too much. At least, not yet.
Thor entered the night making just 33.3% of his attempts in the nine games he’s played in and was really ice-cold behind the 3-point line, connecting on a mere 23.5%. He fared mildly better against the Wizards, making 1 of 2 attempts and clanking his lone 3-pointer. He also had a nifty and-1 in the lane.
“I told him you’ve just got to keep shooting it,” Clifford said. “He’s a good shooter, he works hard at it with (assistant coach) Bruce (Kreutzer) every day. He’ll shoot a good percentage because he’s gotten good shots.
“He’s got a chance to be a good player. He’s 20 years old and he’s getting a good role, getting to play good minutes and he’s got a good attitude. So it’s good for him.”
This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 9:26 PM.
