Streak busters. Takeaways from the Hornets’ win in Orlando
.JPG "Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, right, is defended by Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba (11) and guard Terrence Ross, center, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)")
Back in the city he called home for three years, Steve Clifford couldn’t sugarcoat the recent fate of the Charlotte Hornets.
Falling on tough times had the coach eager to reverse their fortunes.
“I’m disappointed in the record,” Clifford said. “I’m actually really happy with the progress we’ve made. We’ve had a good attitude about it, but we need to win a game. And this is an important week. We have three out of four on the road.”
Well, the Hornets are off to a good start. Buoyed by one of their most balanced scoring efforts of the season, the Hornets snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 112-105 victory against Orlando on Monday night at the Amway Center.
In leading wire-to-wire and collecting a season-best 15 steals, it ranks as one of their most complete wins and was much-needed considering they hadn’t tasted victory since before Halloween when they beat Golden State.
“Obviously, we are happy we got the ‘W,’” Terry Rozier said. “That’s what this is all about. Everybody wants to come on top and win. Hopefully this will be a new leaf for us and it will start us winning. That’s what we had talked about all week. So we wanted to start this week off right with a win and that’s what we did.”
Here’s are the takeaways from the Hornets’ slump-busting win:
Fourth quarter a teaching moment
For as good as they looked for the better part of three quarters, the Hornets found themselves in a teaching moment late. Rather than slowing things down on offense and keeping the same level of intensity after going up by as many as 19 points in the second half, they didn’t play very intelligently.
Ill-advised alley oops, lackadaisical defense at the 3-point line and overall general carelessness allowed Orlando to climb into it and give the Hornets a brief scare until they made enough plays in the waning minutes to close the Magic out and hold them off.
“The whole challenge in this thing is to have a way to play and commit to it,” Clifford said. “Regardless of what the score is. And that’s what the good teams do. There’s no reason we can’t do that. If you look at it in most games, we’ve usually had stretches of good, sometimes exceptional play.
“And then we have times, when you know what, one or two guys lose focus or whatever, we don’t execute. And even with all of them we can’t be that team. We can be very good. We can’t give possessions away. We don’t have that much room for error.”
A lead as large as 13 points got whittled down to seven, causing a few anxious moments. That can’t happen.
“Sloppy, mental mistakes.,” Mason Plumlee said. “Coach said it best in the locker room. Why settle for how good we could be? Let’s realize our potential. Let’s not be a young team, let’s be mature and when you’re up 10, don’t be afraid to take it to 15. Fifteen, take it to 20.
“Do what got you there. And when we get loose when we have leads, it’s always bad. And we have to kind of draw a line in the sand and make that step because that was common last year, too.”
LaMelo gutting it out
After his first action of the season, LaMelo Ball admitted he likely wouldn’t have suited up if Dennis Smith Jr. hadn’t been injured two days earlier. Through the initial two games of his return, it’s obvious Ball is still fighting off the ill effects of his sprained ankle.
When he wasn’t on the floor, Ball spent a good portion of his time on the bench trying to keep his foot loose. He removed his signature namesake sneakers and used his hands to massage the tenderness. Still, the pain isn’t too much to keep him from being effective.
Ball came close to registering a double-double, posting 17 points, nine assists and four rebounds in 34 minutes.
“Having Melo back is definitely an honor.,” Rozier said. “We love him. He’s franchise, he’s our guy. So we are just happy to have him back.”
Curing division blues
While their matchup with Orlando was far from a must-win game, it still had some pretty good significance. Believe it or not, including their win against the Magic, the Hornets have already played six games against Southeast Division competition.
So dropping a decision to Orlando would’ve meant they had just one win inside the division, and not improving on that significantly could come back to haunt them later in the season when potential tiebreaker scenarios begin creeping in. But now they’re 2-4 after collecting their first victory against a division rival since knocking off Atlanta on the road in the third game of the season.
“It doesn’t matter where you are at in the schedule, you just have to have good days,” Clifford said. “I learned a long time ago that if you want to scare yourself, look at an NBA schedule. You are going to play them, you are going to go here. It’s not a good way to go.”
DSJ inching back
Even with Ball’s return, the Hornets remain shorthanded in the backcourt with Smith sidelined by a sprained left ankle for the second straight game. But there’s a possibility his status could be upgraded as soon as Charlotte’s next game.
Smith participated in some light pregame activities and that was an encouraging sign. The 24-year-old hasn’t been able to do much since stepping on Kyle Lowry’s foot in Thursday’s loss to Miami.
“I think there’s a chance that by Wednesday maybe (Smith could return),” Clifford said. “He did some of the stuff this morning (at shootaround). Actually we are lucky. If you watched that on film, it could have been a lot, lot worse. But I think there’s a chance by Wednesday.”
Smith initially sprained his ankle on Nov. 5 in the first half of Charlotte’s loss to Brooklyn, but didn’t really miss any time. He returned two days later and was still effective until going down against the Heat.
“That was also the same ankle he injured in the summer and he badly wants to play,” Clifford said. “So, I think he will get out there as soon as he can.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2022 at 9:45 PM.
