Coming up big. Takeaways from the Hornets’ win against Minnesota
PJ Washington nodded over at the opposing bench, having drained one of two free throws.
The Charlotte Hornets big man skipped over to meet his teammates at their own bench as a crowd of 17,924 roared in approval as if they just found a stellar deal on this Black Friday. Washington & Co. conquered Minnesota’s version of the Twin Towers, holding on for an impressive 110-108 victory at Spectrum Center.
“You know how important it is to win in this league,” Washington said. “So for us we are just trying to string a couple together. I was super excited to get one and super excited (about) how our team is playing. I can’t wait to get out there and win again.”
This was a new feeling of sorts for the Hornets (6-14). Winning consecutive games has been an elusive thing for them through the season’s initial five-plus weeks and they finally broke through despite missing Gordon Hayward, LaMelo Ball and Dennis Smith Jr.
“We want to win every game we go into,” Kai Jones said. “Coming into today, that was something that was on the forefront of my mind before I went to bed last night, that we haven’t won two straight yet. So, I was thinking about that and throughout the game when we came really close, I was just like, ‘Yeah, this would be huge for us, so let’s continue to build momentum.’
“I believe in that, the law of momentum. So, that’s going to be huge for us and we’ve got another good one on Monday, too.”
Here are some takeaways from the Hornets’ victory against Minnesota:
Board men
Going up against Minnesota, which features a pair of 7-footers in Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Hornets’ rebounding deficiencies could have been magnified. Instead, they turned in one of their best rebounding efforts of the season.
The Hornets racked up a season-best tying 55 rebounds, outmuscling the taller Timberwolves (10-9) to grab 10 more boards than Minnesota. Mason Plumlee and Jones were the leaders on the glass, snatching 12 apiece. Jones even corralled three of their 15 offensive rebounds, a number that topped the Timberwolves’ 11.
“Credit to our big guys,” Washington said. “They did a great job down there. (Plumlee) had a wonderful game, Nick (Richards). I mean, we’ve got to do this good with rebounding each and every night. People have been saying that’s one of the things we don’t do, so we’ve got to make it into a strength. I feel like we did that tonight.”
Cleaning the glass in that kind of fashion provides a different dynamic for the Hornets.
“It will change our team to a certain degree,” coach Steve Clifford said. “Mason, if you look at his rebounding numbers the last few games, he’s been rebounding better and better. And tonight, Kai was a big part of it. We also had perimeter guys coming back now and getting rebounds that we weren’t getting earlier. And if we can do that consistently it’s going to help us a lot.”
Oubre kept them in it
While others seemed to struggle a bit with the unusual early evening start time, Kelly Oubre appeared just fine with it. And luckily for the Hornets.
Oubre powered his way to 28 points, fueling the offense,
In a sluggish first half for Hornets, Oubre nearly single-handedly kept them within striking distance. He netted a third of their field goals and was the lone Charlotte player to crack double figures with 17 points. And he didn’t get jump-shot happy, either. Oubre rattled the rim with a couple of dunks and flourished in the mid-range area as well.
He was all about stuffing the stat sheet.
“Just coming out and being myself, having a clear mind and playing defense,” Oubre said. “My defense always fuels me on the offensive end just because without that, we won’t win. Those points are pointless if you’re not playing defense.
“I try to amp myself up on the defensive end and just find my rhythm and find my flow by just being in attack mode on offense, but also allowing things to come to me instead of forcing it. I think that’s been a pretty big change in my game. I’m just blessed enough to just go out there and just play each and every night.”
The kids were all right
Another night, another solid contribution by Jones.
The second-year forward/center turned in career highs in points (9), total rebounds (12) and minutes played (28). He’s taken his key minutes and made the most of them over the past four games.
James Bouknight also got into the act and played well in nearly 15 minutes off the bench. Bouknight, who’s struggled this season, canned a pair of 3-pointers and the Hornets were a plus-6 while Bouknight was on the floor.
“I’m super proud of their development,” Oubre said. “Things aren’t easy and great every day, especially growing up in this league. Things are very hard when you don’t have everything figured out. And they’re figuring it out. So, they’ve just got to continue to work, continue to improve and just continue to get better and be professionals.”
Maledon got it done
With no Smith, who is nursing a sprained left ankle he re-injured on Wednesday, Théo Maledon slid into the backup point guard and performed admirably. Maledon was smooth and efficient, mostly running the second unit – although coach Steve Clifford teamed the 21-year-old Frenchman with Terry Rozier on occasion.
Posting 14 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists, Maledon simply keeps making plays – he drew and-1s on consecutive possessions during one sequence – whenever he’s summoned off the bench. Unlike two nights earlier, though, he didn’t get thrust into the action unexpectedly and Clifford praised Maledon’s penchant for being prepared despite the situation.
“I wanted to make the point to the younger players – it’s easy to get ready to play when you know you’re going to play,” Clifford said. “But one of the challenges for younger guys is when you’re not in the rotation and your number’s called, can you step up and play well? And that’s what he did. He was a big part of the win. He keeps himself ready, he’s very mature. That bodes well for what he can become in the future.”
Hayward hurting again
The latest return for Gordon Hayward ended at three games.
Hayward sat out against the Timberwolves with a left shoulder contusion, an injury that caused him to previously miss eight games after taking a blow to his shoulder in the Hornets’ win against Golden State on Oct. 29. He noticeably experienced issues with it since returning and even wore a protective device versus Philadelphia to help with some of the discomfort.
“He wasn’t able to finish the game the other night physically,” Clifford said. “His shoulder was really, really bothering him, and he took another hit on it. I don’t know how long he’ll be (out).”
This story was originally published November 25, 2022 at 7:47 PM.
