LaMelo Ball limps off again. Takeaways from the Hornets’ loss to the Indiana Pacers
Knowing the position the Charlotte Hornets were in and embarking on a rare home game, Terry Rozier recalled the message scribbled in marker on Monday.
“That’s something we put on the board after the (Orlando) game,” Rozier said. “The main thing you want to do is protect home court. We want to win as much as you can at home.”
They’re still having a bit of trouble doing just that.
Not only did the Hornets fail to defend their home court again, succumbing to Indiana 125-113 at Spectrum Center on Wednesday night, they may have lost their All-Star point guard after he left the game late in the fourth quarter and never returned.
“It’s disappointing man,” Kelly Oubre said. “Our fans come out, they cheer, they bring energy. And to continue to come home and lose on our own home court, that’s tough. It’s a tough pill to swallow because we are putting on for the city, we are putting on for Spectrum Center. For guys to come in here and walk in here and be more confident than us, come out here and play harder than us and want it more than us, that doesn’t sit right with me.
“So, no, I’m not happy at all. But I don’t have much expectation. Until we continuously do the right habits over and over again, then I’ll have an expectation. But until we get pretty much an identity, we have to kind of just go out and find that.”
Here are some takeaways from the Hornets’ ninth loss in their past 10 games:
LaMelo reinjured
Three games into his return, LaMelo Ball is injured again.
Ball tweaked his left ankle with just under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. He chased down a loose ball in front of the Hornets’ bench and stepped on a fan’s foot. He immediately began limping, headed straight to the bench and then into the locker room after checking out with 1:36 remaining.
Prior to coming up gimpy, Ball pumped in 16 of his game-high 26 points in the second half and hit a season-best five 3-pointers. He was in a pretty good groove.
“Hopefully, it’s not bad,” coach Steve Clifford said. “I’m sure we won’t really know anything until (Thursday).”
That’s the last thing the Hornets (4-12) needed and wanted to see.
“It’s tough,” PJ Washington said. “At the end of the day, we hope he’s good. All prayers for him. I hope there’s nothing wrong and he’s back the next game.”
Haunted by miscues
Those dreaded turnover issues cropped up once more for the Hornets and it was a crusher.
Indiana (7-6) cashed the Hornets’ 19 turnovers into 27 points, with 14 of those points coming in the second half when Charlotte gave the ball up nine times. The Hornets had four turnovers in the fourth quarter that felt like double that amount.
Most are inexcusable and avoidable. Concentration is lacking at times.
“It’s just controlling the ball,” Oubre said. “Valuing possessions, controlling the ball and getting the best shot, the best opportunity that we possibly can each and every time down the court. Whether we turn a team over, whether they score and we come down and we have the numbers, we have to execute, and spacing plays a role in that.
“Execution, running the plays, running the sets, cutting, guys getting open, setting their man up when they get screened or they have a pick coming for them, a lot of things go into that. But we have to value possessions as simple as that.”
Jekyll and Hyde second
A microcosm of the Hornets’ early season fate was on full display in the second quarter. There was plenty of good and also a slew of frustrating moments.
They jumped out to a 13-point edge courtesy of some sizzling shooting fueled by 12 points from Washington. He scored 11 of the Hornets’ initial 13 points of the quarter and making six 3-pointers — a season best for any quarter — had the Hornets in control.
Still, things could have been even better than a three-point halftime advantage if they closed out the final minutes of the quarter with some improved decision-making. They had two brutal turnovers in the final 41.9 seconds that aided Indiana’s 11-1 run to close the half.
“All you can do is try to watch it and really learn from it,” Clifford said. “The end of the quarter, there was turnovers. Two bad turnovers that led to five points. We should’ve been up by 10, 12, whatever, and it ends up being three. You know, those are things you have to watch and learn from.”
And another one
It’s getting to the point where anytime someone on the Hornets suffers an injury, the diagnosis is the same. All the way down to the exact area of their body, too.
Mark Williams is the latest to join their list of literally walking wounded. The rookie got injured on Tuesday during his assignment with the G League’s Greensboro Swarm and wasn’t available to play against the Pacers, sitting on the bench in street clothes. Williams sprained his left ankle, joining the likes of Ball and Dennis Smith Jr.
Pairing them with the right ankle sprain Rozier collected in their regular-season home opener means the Hornets have already had more than their fair share of sore lower extremities.
Williams was coming off two good games with the Swarm, averaging 24 points, 14 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in his short stint.
“Mark’s in a boot — or he was this morning, so he wasn’t able to do shootaround,” Clifford said. “But I love what he and Bryce (McGowens) have done in Greensboro. Right attitude, they went down there and played within the team concept. They played very efficiently. And they like it, which is not always the case.
“A lot of young guys don’t want to go down there, and they realize that it’s important for their development. So again, you have the right attitude, you benefit from that.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 9:59 PM.
