Overtime frustrations for Hornets. Takeaways from Charlotte’s loss to Heat in Miami
.JPG "Charlotte Hornets guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) drives to the basket as Miami Heat center Dewayne Dedmon (21) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)")
Kelly Oubre shook his head at the call, unable to comprehend what just happened.
Oubre had the ball in his hands and a chance to give the Charlotte Hornets the lead in the waning seconds of overtime. But as he began to make his move on Jimmy Butler, he got called for traveling for apparently picking up his pivot foot — a sequence that left the Hornets feeling awfully frustrated.
They were right there, but couldn’t pull it out and dropped a 117-112 decision to Miami at FTX Arena that extended their losing streak to seven games.
“Obviously, the referee saw something I didn’t,” Oubre said. “I’m not saying they were wrong or anything, but at the end of the day it’s very selective. From my experience being in the NBA or in this society as a whole, I just feel like when an individual or a team is down, they are sharks on the prowl trying to eat the weak. And tonight I feel as if we were the weak.”
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said he didn’t get a good view of the sequence because he was watching the action along the baseline instead since they were running a play for Terry Rozier to get open for a shot. But he wasn’t overly steamed given the Hornets’ multiple comebacks from double digits to even have an opportunity to win it in regulation and again at the end of the extra session.
“I think this says everything about our team to me,” Clifford said. “To lose a game like that last night, get in here late ... They were rested, they are very good playing in their home arena and our guys played a really, really good game. We get a couple of breaks, things go our way a little bit differently in overtime and it would have been a really good win. But it just says everything about the character of our team.”
Here’s what we learned in the Hornets’ ninth loss in their past 10 outings:
Add another injury
As if the Hornets don’t have enough injuries to deal with, looks like they just got another with Dennis Smith Jr. He sprained his left ankle after landing awkwardly on Kyle Lowry’s foot early in overtime and had to be immediately helped off the floor.
His absence would be a significant blow for the Hornets given how well he has played starting at point guard and holding things down with LaMelo Ball out since the preseason. Smith’s status for their matchup with the Heat in Miami on Saturday is unclear.
Things looked similar for Smith last Saturday night when he initially sprained his left ankle and was sidelined for most of their loss to Brooklyn. But he didn’t miss any time and played in their past two games leading into their matchup with the Heat.
“We are fighting hard, putting our bodies on the line each and every night,” Oubre said. “Dennis is a solider. He rolled his ankle back at home one game and then the next game he was suited up. It just goes to show you his heart. He didn’t want to be out. His ankle hurt for sure.
“I know for a fact he’s going to do everything he can to get back on the court as soon as he can. It’s unfortunate for sure.”
Jalen was huge
Less than 24 hours after their bench got outworked by Portland, the Hornets’ reserves came through to help keep them in it. Jalen McDaniels, who has served as the sixth man all season, played with confidence and used his length to create some havoc.
McDaniels did it inside and out on the way to 16 points and his scoring was key in helping the Hornets erase a deficit that was as large as 12 points at the outset of the fourth quarter. His 10 points in the fourth marked just the seventh time he has scored double digits in a quarter in his career.
“Just playing my game, playing how I play every day,” McDaniels said. “Just running out there, playing hard, making my open shots, making the right reads, not trying to do too much. So that’s just who I am.”
Hacking still a problem
Seems like the Hornets still have trouble keeping their hands to themselves.
Getting through a game without surrendering a bevy of fouls, including multiple and-1s, has proven to be a difficult proposition. And it was no different against Miami. The Hornets committed 30 fouls and those hacks led to 36 free throws for the Heat.
The disparity in free throws made it more of a challenge for the Hornets to keep pace with Miami, especially with Jimmy Butler using his crafty moves to get to the line for 15 attempts.
Overcoming carelessness
With an already razor-thin margin of error given the number of players they’re missing, the Hornets can’t afford to give the opponent extra possessions. But that’s exactly what they did against the Heat.
Starting off with five turnovers in the first quarter set a bad tone and the Hornets’ number of miscues increased to 11 by the half, which nearly matched their season average. They came into the night ranked 14th in the league in turnovers per game at 14.9. and had that many by the end of the third quarter. Offensive fouls set on moving screens were one of the Hornets’ main culprits.
Miami cashed the Hornets’ 21 turnovers into 30 points and that was a huge reason it was able to continuously hold the Hornets off whenever Charlotte made a charge to trim a double-digit deficit.
“That’s one of their big strengths,” Clifford said. “They’ve been doing it all year. They’re quick. They’re very aggressive with their hands and get in the passing lanes so it’s something we’ll have to be better at on Saturday.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 10:40 PM.
